A Tourist’s Paradise - Sri Lanka

One of the top performing industries in Sri Lanka is tourism. Most of the travelers visiting the country come from Great Britain, Australia, Canada, United States and India. To make the most of the trip, one has to see the top ten tourist spots in Sri Lanka.

Dambulla Cave Temple:

The Dambulla Cave Temple abreast Colombo and Kandy is the best preserved and best temple in the country. It is of stone and the caves are built inside a huge overhanging rock. Inside the caves, tourists can buy paintings and statues. The main attractions are the Cave of the Great Kings, the Cave of the Divine King and the Great New Monastery. 

View Larger Map

Polonnaruwa:

Polonnaruwa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  A must see locations are the Lankatilaka Temple, the Royal Palace and the Thuparama. Retail shops, restaurants and hotels are fast growing in this small city. 

View Larger Map

Anuradhapura:

One of the traditional cities in the country, Anuradhapura is known for its best preserved ruins. The place is just 206 km away from Colombo. The popular spots here are the Brazen Palace, the Sacred Bo-Tree and therefore the Nuwara Lake.

View Larger Map

Sigiriya:

Sigiriya is of the most beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country, located at the heart of the district of Matale. The attractions include the Gardens of Sigriya, the Sigriya Rock & the Mirror Wall.

View Larger Map

Sacred City of Kandy:

The Sacred City of Kandy is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Temple of the Tooth, the Royal Palace of Kandy and the Kandy Lake are the major tourist attractions.  

View Larger Map

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage:

The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is in Kegalle. In 2008, eighty four elephants lived here at this orphanage. It is open to public place daily. One can also watch the elephants bathing and eating and this is an enjoyable watch, especially with the kids.


View BIA to Dambulla in a larger map

Hikkaduwa National Park:

The Hikkaduwa National Park is a wildlife altar at the southern part of the country. The abode is accepted for its cute apricot reefs. The abode  is home to some baptized breeds including sea worms, prawns and black tip beach shark.

Knuckles Mountain Range:

Knuckles Mountain Range begins at the northeast ancillary of Kandy. It is home to assorted flora and fauna. One can try their hands at hiking, bedrock aggressive and cycling.

Yala National Park:

The Yala National Park is close to Colombo. The Sri Lankan Elephant, the grizzled large squirrel and also the Indian Pangolin are the most famous sightings. Apart from these, Grey-headed Fish Eagle and Estuarine crocodiles are also popular.

View Larger Map

Kumana National Park:

The Kumana National Park is found in the eastern part of the country. The nearest city to the park is Hambantota. The park is home to different wildlife species like the Pacific Golden Plover, the Common Sandpiper and the Wild Boar. Other species at the park include the European Otter and the Fishing Cat.

Sri Lanka is a beautiful country with some breathtaking landscapes and attractions. And the best way to experience the beauty of the place is to opt for the different day trip destinations. 

View Larger Map

Author Bio: John Anderson is an ardent outdoor enthusiast who has a special interest in fishing adventures. He is from the land of the Down Under and has travelled almost all the wonderful places in the country and other part of the world in search of some great times and experiences. He is also a proficient author of several outdoor articles on travel with a bias towards boating and fishing.

Read More

Temple of the Tooth - Sri Dalada Maligawa

Located in Kandy, long a center of the Buddhist faith, the stunning 17th-century Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) is believed to house the left upper canine tooth of the Lord Buddha himself. This precious relic attracts white-clad pilgrims, bearing lotus blossoms and frangipani, every day.

History

According to legend, the tooth was taken from the Buddha as he lay on his funeral pyre. It was smuggled to Sri Lanka in 313 AD, hidden in the hair of Princess Hemamali who fled the Hindu armies besieging her father's kingdom in India.

It immediately became an object of great reverence and was enshrined in a series of nested jeweled reliquaries. The tooth was brought out for special occasions and paraded on the backs of elephants, which are sacred to the Buddha. where it survived numerous attempts to capture and destroy it.

When the capital was moved to Kandy, the tooth was taken to the new city and placed in temples built to honor it. The temple was originally built under Kandyan kings between 1687 and 1707, but later severely damaged during the 18th-century colonial wars against the Portugese and Dutch. After the wars, the original wooden structures were restored in stone.

In January 1998 Hindu Tamil separatists bombed the temple, damaging its facade and roof. Restoration began immediately afterward.

What to See

On the outside, the temple buildings are not magnificent or elaborately decorated. White with red roofs, they cluster around Kandy Lake (the island in the middle once housed the king's harem).

In striking contrast to the plain exterior, the interiors of the temple buildings are richly carved and decorated with inlaid woods, ivory, and lacquer.

Around the entire complex is a low white stone wall, delicately and simply carved with openings that give a filigree effect. During celebrations, candles are placed in the openings, lighting up the entire front.

The relic of the tooth is kept in a two-story inner shrine fronted by two large elephant tusks. The relic rests on a solid gold lotus flower, encased in jeweled caskets that sit on a throne.

The temple is joined to the Pattiripuwa (Octagon) tower, built in 1803, that was originally a prison but now houses a collection of palm-leaf manuscripts. The king's palace is also in the temple compound.

Source :- View the site here






View Larger Map

Read More

Kandy

The city of Kandy is located 116 kilometers from Colombo.  It is 465 meters above  sea-level  and  nestled  in  the  mountainous  central  region  of  the island.    First  established  in  the  mid-14th  century,  the  city  resisted  many invasions by the Portuguese and Dutch, who occupied most of the island from the 16th century onwards.  Kandy remained the last independent capital of Sri Lanka until the reign of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, when it came under British rule in 1815.  The seats of power then shifted to the coastal areas of Kotte and Colombo.  However, it is still considered the religious and cultural center of the country, with numerous temples  and  monasteries,  Buddhist  colleges  and  beautiful parks and gardens.  The Lankatilaka Temple is known for its traditional Sinhalese architecture and  was  built  in  1344  atop  a  rocky  and  uneven  hilltop.    The  Embekke Devale, constructed in the 14th century, is famous for its wooden structure and beautifully intricate woodcarvings.   Another popular temple in Kandy is the Gadaladeniya Temple which was built in a South Indian style.

Read More

The Temple of the Tooth

The  most  famous  attraction  in  Kandy  is  the  Temple  of  the  Tooth,  or  “Sri Dalada Maligawa”.  The Buddha’s Tooth was first brought to Kandy during the reign of Vimaladharmasuriya I at the turn of the 17th century.  He built a temple to house the relic but this was later destroyed.  It was taken away for safety during a Portuguese invasion of Kandy and eventually recovered during the rule of King Rajasinha II.

The present Temple of the Tooth was built in the early 18th century by King Vira  Narendra  Sinha,  and  later  extended  and  modified  by  subsequent kings.    Externally,  it  is  surrounded  by  a  moat  and  low  white  walls  with simple carvings.  Its distinctive Octagonal Tower, or “Pattiripuwa”, was built in 1803 and houses a collection of palm-leaf manuscripts.

The  Tooth  is  kept  in  a  two-story  shrine which  is  covered  with  a  golden canopy  and  fronted  by  a  set  of  huge  elephant  tusks.    There  is  also  a museum  where  many  Buddha  images  are  kept,  most  of  them  gifts  from different  countries.    Also displayed are paintings depicting the  various events in the history of the Tooth.

Thousands  of  devotees  and  visitors  throng  the  shrine  every day  to  pay respects  to  the  Tooth,  which  is  encased  within  a  set  of  seven  caskets made of gold and precious gems.  There is an air of great excitement and Anticipation among the crowd as the people await their turn to file past the Tooth.  There is usually not much more time than for a quick look as the attendants keep the crowd moving at a fast pace.

A  replica  of  the  Tooth,  together  with  its  ornate  and  beautiful  caskets,  is displayed  once  a  year  during  the  “Esala  Perahera”.    This is  the  island’s largest annual celebration, lasting for ten days, with colorful and elaborate parades  of  dancers,  drummers  and  elephants.    Around a million people attend this festival each year.  Due to security concerns, the actual Tooth is never brought out for the festival.

Read More