Tourist Attractions in Sri Lanka

Peradeniya Botanical Gardens

Sri Lanka is one of the most startling and beautiful island countries in the world. It has a very rich and diverse culture, something that dates back to centuries. Sri Lanka has an equally rich religious tradition of ahimsa and peace with all as the majority of the country’s citizens are practicing Buddhists. But there are other ethnic communities as well like the Hindus, Muslim Moors, Malays and Burghers. The natural beauty of the country is without parallel. There are unending coastlines, tropical forests, wildlife sanctuaries and high mountains. This diverse topography is the reason behind the equally varied flora and fauna of the country. There are several wildlife parks and gardens in the island country and Peradeniya Botanical Gardens must be mentioned in this context. All the botanical gardens are full of ornamental flowers and exotic plants, are like emerald jewels adorned in the striking landscape of the island. These gardens have are veritable store houses of a variety of trees and flowers collected from all over the world. Peradeniya Botanical Garden is located in Kandy one of the most important places in Sri Lanka. Kandy is around four miles from this botanical garden and it dates back to the reign of King Vikrama Bahu III who reigned in the fourteenth century. A large variety of decorative plants and other creepers that are used to produce the special spices of Sri Lanka are found in Peradeniya Botanical Garden. Huge tropical trees are found through the length and breath of the lawns. The orchid house in the garden is really worth a visit. There are more than three hundred varieties of superb orchids blooming in profusion. The spice garden in the park has trees and plants used for preparing traditional Ayurvedic medicine. The magnificence of the garden is heightened by the Mahaweli River which flows through its outer edge.

Hakgala Botanical Garden

On your holiday trip to Sri Lanka, you must visit Hakgala Botanical Gardens situated near Nuwara Eliya. This botanical garden is definitely interesting not only to the botanist but also to the layman. Because of the tropical climate and huge diversity in the topography tropical and sub-tropical trees grow here with abandon. The plentiful underbrush and tall trees of the tropical forest contrast sharply with the arid scrub land and talipot palms of the dry north. You will be able to see varieties like the almost treeless patnas of Horton Plains to the dark forests, wreathed with the Old Man's Beard Moss. Other exotic varieties are Poincianan regia, the white Mesua ferrera and the cherry blossom-like Tebebuia, Vanda and Wesak Orchids. Masses of Na Tree (Mesua nagassarium) and the BlueWater Lily (Nymphaea stellatacas) are found here. The borders of several estuaries and lagoons provide several fishing spots and other resources related to fishery. Hakgala Botanical Gardens site has a legend attached to it. According to the legend, it was the pleasure garden of King Ravana of the epic Ramayana, and it may have been the place where Sita, the consort of Lord Ram, was hidden. In 1860, the botanic gardens in its present form were founded by the distinguished British botanist Dr. G.H.K. Thwaites.
Hakgala Botanical Gardens is suitable for decorative and more useful temperate zone plants. There is an huge array of pine trees here. You will be able to see conifers and cedars from Australia, Bermuda and Japan, and cypresses from the Himalayas, China, Persia, Mexico and California. The botanical garden has an English oak as well as a camphor tree. Camphor trees are usually found in regions above 12,000m above the sea level.
Hakgala Botanical Garden as an extensive rose garden where you will be able to see and admire the infinite varieties. Montane orchids too have their home in this garden, there are also infinite varieties of orchids here.


Temple Of The Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) Sri Lanka

The city of Kandy has one of the greatest relics of Lord Buddha, his tooth. The holy tooth has been enshrined in Temple Of The Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa). This temple commands great reverence amongst the ardent followers of Lord Buddha. Sinhalese kings had their capital here from 1592 AD to 1815 AD. Because of the importance of the temple, the city has been declared as a world heritage site by UNESCO. Thousands of devotees from all over the world visit this temple each year and daily rituals are conducted by the monks of the chapters of Malwatte and Asgiriya. The rituals are performed thrice daily, once at dawn, once at noon and finally in the evening. Wednesdays in Temple Of The Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) are always hectic as there is the symbolic ritual of bathing of the sacred tooth with herbal preparations. This preparation is made with fragrant flowers called Nananura Mangallya. It is believed to have healing powers and devotees crowd to have a sprinkling of it. This temple was repeatedly damaged by the terrorist attacks, but they did not create any permanent damage. Full Moon Poya day sees large number of disciples congregating at the temple premises. This monthly ceremony is a matter of joy for most of the people, they make it a point to visit the temple. The other main ceremonies held at Temple Of The Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) are Aluth Sahal Mangallaya, Avurudu Mangallaya, Esala Mangallaya and Kartika Mangallaya. The most important of the festivals is Esala Mangallaya. When you plan your holiday trip to Sri Lanka, make sure that the city of Kandy is included in your itinerary. Kandy has several attractions, but of course, nothing can be compared to this sacred relic of the Buddhists. Finding the location of this temple will be not at all difficult, you will be directed towards it in any case.





Kurunegala Clock Tower

The north western part of Sri Lanka has a very beautiful city Kurunegala. The city is located forty two kilometers from Kandy and one hundred and sixteen kilometers from Colombo. It has many tourist attractions including the Kurunegala Clock Tower. At one point of time, this city was very unclean and unpopular, it was regarded as a punishment posting in the Colonial era. But that has all changed now, it is regarded as one of the most attractive cities as well as a major city in Sri Lanka. Kurunegala City is situated quite high up. The geography of the city is clear, except for some rocks which are found here and there. The year round tropical climate as well as the temperate climate helps in maintaining the pleasant ambience of the city for the whole year. You will be able to visit at least three capitals of ancient times here Panduvasnuwara, Dambadeniya, and Yapahuwa. Some ruins of old monuments are to be found in Panduvasnuwara. Dambadeniya was an ancient capital of Sri Lanka in the mid thirteenth century. Little has been excavated and much of the city still lies buried under a huge fortified rock. This capital city was in the Wayamba province. The rock fortress complex of Yapahuwa is situated in the Wayamba province of Sri Lanka. Yapahuwa was the capital of the country during the last quarter of the thirteenth century. It was a military stronghold and built on a huge rock boulder in Sigiriya rock fortress type.
When you are visiting Kurunegala City, spend some time in admiring the Kurunegala Clock Tower. This clock tower was built in 1922 and is connected with the First World War. It was built in the memory of those brave soldiers who perished in the War but the tower is also used as a memoriam for the soldiers who died in the Second World War.

Henarathgoda Botanical Garden

The island of Sri Lanka is extremely diverse in terms of its flora and fauna. Though the island has in general tropical climate, there are arid pockets as well. Sri Lanka’s capital is Colombo which is also the largest city. All major activities in the island happen in the capital, mainly in the economic and financial areas. Sri Lanka offers endless options to the tourists including Buddhists temples, Hindu temples, mosques, Christian churches, Parliament building, parks, zoo, museums and art galleries. Henarathgoda Botanical Garden, is always on the must see list of the tourists and for very good reasons. This botanical garden is on comparatively low lying areas compared to other botanical gardens in the island. Henarathgoda Botanical Garden is located around thirty kilometers north-west of Colombo, near Gampaha off Colombo-Kandy road. The variety of trees in this botanical garden is simply mindbogglind and some of the trees are from far away places like Brazil. Every tropical tree has been represented, or rather trees are there from every corner of the tropical world. It is really something to see a tree from as far away place as Brazil, specially if the tree is something so unusual as the Para rubber tree. The scientific name for this tree is hevea brasiliensis. The garden is open every day but most beautiful during the monsoons as most of the trees are at their green best. In this context it is to be mentioned that in Sri Lanka there are rains at least twice a year, the long wet season helps the gardens to maintain the year round verdure.
In 1876 AD, the first seedlings of Brazilian rubber tree ever planted in Asia, grew and prospered in Henarathgoda Botanical Gardens. It is interesting to note that perhaps this single factor helped in the establishment and proliferation of the rubber industry in Southeast Asia. Several south east Asian countries are engaged in rubber trade and industry which contribute significantly to the exchequer of the country.
Varieties of flowering acacias are well adapted to the arid conditions and flourish on the Jaffna Peninsula. Among the trees of the dry-land forests are some valuable species, such as satinwood, ebony, ironwood, and mahogany. In the wet zone, the dominant vegetation of the lowlands is a tropical evergreen forest, with tall trees, broad foliage, and a dense undergrowth of vines and creepers. Subtropical evergreen forests resembling those of temperate climates flourish in the higher altitudes. Forests at one time covered nearly the entire island, but by the late 20th century lands classified as forests and forest reserves covered only one-fifth of the land. Ruhunu National Park in the southeast protects herds of elephant, deer, and peacocks, and Wilpattu National Park in the northwest preserves the habitats of many water birds, such as storks, pelicans, ibis, and spoonbills. During the Mahaweli Ganga Program of the 1970s and 1980s in northern Sri Lanka, the government set aside four areas of land totalling 1,900 km² as national parks. The island has three biosphere reserves, Hurulu, Sinharaja, and the Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya.

Adams Peak

One of the most spectacular sightseeing tours in Sri Lanka can revolve round Adam’s Peak. It is situated in Ratnapura district. Wilderness of the Peak is a group of mountains and Adam’s Peak is a part of this extensive group. But since the peak is on the edge of the mountains group, it appears to be on its own, totally separate from others. The height of Adam’s Peak is around 7500 ft. Though it is the second highest peak in the island, the topography of this peak is so distinctive that it seems to have an aura of its own. Adam’s Peak is considered sacred by the followers of many religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. However the mountain was sacred even to the indigenous people of the island, the Veddas, long before the evolution of these religions here. The Veddas called this peak Sarnanala Kanda, the Hindus call the mountain Sivan Adi Padham as it is believed that Lord Shiva left his footprint here during his world creative dances. Again the Buddhists believe that the footprint was left Lord Buddha on his final tour of Sri Lanka. The Portuguese believe that St. Thomas left his footprint here and the Arabs believe that the footprint is of Adam who stood on one foot for a thousand years of penance.
It is possible to spot the mountain easily from the sea than from land. Early Arab sailors thought it to be the highest mountain in Sri Lanka and the ancient Sinhalese also thought it to be very high. Adam's Peak today has attained a legendary status as a spiritualist pilgrimage destination. The pilgrimage season commences in December and continues till April, it is then that the mountain is obscured from the view by the clouds. This mountain is also called butterfly mountain because of the countless butterflies that fly from all over the island to die here.

Hikkaduwa Marine Santuary

Hikkaduwa Marine Sanctuary has tourists from all over the world and for varied reasons. Here holiday makers come as do nationally renowned as well as internationally renowned marine biologists, naturalists, conservators and scientists. Different varieties of corals are seen here and approximately seventy varieties of corals are admired by all who take time off to explore Hikkaduwa Marine Sanctuary. However it is very unfortunate that some species like Acropora formosa, Acropora hyachinths, Acropora robusta are on their way to being nearly extinct from this sanctuary. Coral reefs are the best place to see and admire microscopic marine creatures, lobsters, coral fish, and other brightly colored fishes. Hikkaduwa Marine Sanctuary is one of the most respected and popular coral reef destination of the island country for holiday makers and other people interested in marine ecology. But increasing onslaught by man had led this sanctuary to a despoiled state. To stop the onslaught and make the ecological balance steady, Hikkaduwa was declared as a Marine Sanctuary in 1979. Basically the coral extractors demolish most of vegetation in and around the place. However with the sanctuary in place, this has to a great extent being curbed. But there are other hazards too like the consequence of high radiation and the increase in sea surface temperature. This has led to the death of more than seventy percent of multi colored corals of the sanctuary on the south coast of Sri Lanka. What remains now are the pure white skeletal corals.
To visit Hikkaduwa Marine Sanctuary, you will have to come to at least 96 kms south west of Colombo, the capital city of the country. This sanctuary has 1.5 km stretch of beach protected by bordering coral reefs running parallel to the coast line. It is also a popular bathing and swimming destination. The reefs have five species of angel fish and twelve species of butterfly fish. The fish feed on coral tentacles and coral polyps.

Famous Places in Anuradhapura

Sri Mahabodhi

The Bodhi Tree, also known as Bo (from the Sinhalese Bo), was a large and very old Sacred Fig tree (Ficus religiosa) located in Bodh Gaya (about 100 km/62 mi from Patna in the Indian state of Bihar), under which Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher and founder of Buddhism later known as Gautama Buddha, achieved enlightenment, or Bodhi. In religious iconography, the Bodhi tree is recognizable by its heart-shaped leaves, which are usually prominently displayed.
The term "Bodhi tree" is also widely applied to currently existing trees, particularly the Sacred Fig growing at the Mahabodhi Temple, which is allegedly a direct descendant of the original specimen. This tree is a frequent destination for pilgrims, being the most important of the four holy sites for Buddhists. Other holy Bodhi trees which have a great significance in the history of Buddhism are the Anandabodhi tree in Sravasti and the Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura. Both are believed to have been propagated from the original Bodhi tree.

Ruwanwelisaya

The Ruwanwelisaya is a stupa in Sri Lanka, considered a marvel for its architectural qualities and sacred to many Buddhists all over the world. It was built by King Dutugemunu, who became lord of all Sri Lanka after a war in which the Chola King Elara, were defeated. It is also known as Mahathupa, Swarnamali Chaitya and Rathnamali Dagaba.
The stupa is also one of the Solosmasthana (the 16 places of veneration) and the Atamasthana (the 8 places of veneration in the ancient sacred city of Anuradhapura). The stupa is one of the world's tallest monuments, standing at 300 ft (92 m) and with a circumference of 950 ft (292 m).

Lovamahapaya

Lovamahapaya is a building situated between Ruvanveliseya and Sri Mahabodiya in the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is also known as the Brazen Palace or Lohaprasadaya because the roof was covered with bronze tiles.In ancient times, the building included the refectory and the uposathagara (Uposatha house). There was also a simamalake where the Sangha assembled on Poya days to recite the formula of the confessional. The famous Lohaprasada built by King Dutugemunu, described as an edifice of nine stories, was a building of this class. One side of the building was 400 ft (120 m) in length. There are 40 rows, each row consisting of 40 stone pillars, for a total of 1600 pillars. It is believed that it took six years for the construction of the building and the plan was brought from the heavens. The building was completely destroyed during the reign of King Saddhatissa.

Jetavanaramaya

King Mahasen (273-301 AD) has the honour of being the creator of the largest stupa in Sri Lanka. A part of a sash or belt tied by the Buddha is believed to be the relic that is enshrined here.
At a height of over 400 feet (120 m), it is one of the tallest stupas in the world (the tallest being Phra Pathom Chedi, Thailand), largest brick building ever built, and 3rd largest structure in the ancient world, after the two largest of the Great Pyramids of Giza. Approximately 93,300,000 baked bricks were used to build the stupa (Ratnayake 1993). This stupa belongs to the Sagalika sect. The compound covers approximately 8 acres (5.6 hectares) and once housed over 3000 Buddhist monks. One side of the stupa is 576 feet (176 m) long, and the flights of stairs at each of the four sides of it are 28 feet (8.5 m) wide. The doorpost to the shrine, which is situated in the courtyard, is 27 feet (8.2 m) high. The stupa has a 6 m deep foundation, and sits on bedrock. Stone inscriptions in the courtyard give the names of people who donated to the building effort.

Abhayagiri Dagaba

The Abhayagiri Dagaba is situated in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is one of the most extensive ruins in the world and one of the most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage cities. Historically it was a great monastic centre as well as a royal capital, with magnificent monasteries rising to many stories, roofed with gilt bronze or tiles of burnt clay glazed in brilliant colors. To the north of the city, encircled by great walls and containing elaborate bathing ponds, carved balustrades and moonstones, stood "Abhayagiri", one of seventeen such religious units in Anuradhapura and the largest of its five major viharas. Surrounding the humped dagaba, Abhayagiri Vihara was a seat of the Northern Monastery, or Uttara Vihara.
The term "Abhayagiri Vihara" means not only a complex of monastic buildings, but also a fraternity of Buddhist monks, or Sangha, which maintains its own historical records, traditions and way of life. Founded in the second century B.C., it had grown into an international institution by the first century of this era, attracting scholars from all over the world and encompassing all shades of Buddhist philosophy. Its influence can be traced to other parts of the world, through branches established elsewhere. Thus, the Abhayagiri Vihara developed as a great institution vis‑a‑vis the Mahavihara and the jetavana Buddhist monastic sects in the ancient Sri Lankan capital of Anuradhapura.

Mirisaveti Stupa

The Mirisaveti Stupa is situated in the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. King Dutugamunu after defeating King Elara, built the Mirisaveti Stupa. After placing the Buddha relics in the sceptre, he had gone to Tisawewa for a bath leaving the sceptre. After the bath he returned to the place where the sceptre was placed, and it is said that it could not be moved. The stupa was built in the place where the sceptre stood. It is also said that he remembered that he partook a chilly curry without offering it to the sangha. In order to punish himself he built the Mirisavetiya Dagaba. The extent of this land is about 50 acres (20 ha). Although the king Kasyapa I and Kasyapa V renovated this, from time to time it was dilapidated. What stands today is the renovation done by the cultural Triangle Fund.

Thuparamaya

Thuparamaya is a dagaba in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
Thera Mahinda him self had introduce Theravada Buddhism and also chetiya worship to Sri Lanka. At his request King Devanampiyatissa built Thuparamaya in which was enshrined the collarbone of the Buddha and is considered as the first dagaba built in Sri Lanka, after the introduction of Buddhism. This is considered the earliest monument of chronicled Sri Lanka. The name Thuparamaya comes from "stupa" and "aramaya" which is a residential complex for monks.
This chetiya was built in the shape of a heap of paddy. This dagaba was destroyed from time to time. During the reign of King Agbo II it was completely destroyed and the King restored it. What we have today is the construction of the dagaba, done in 1862 AD. As it is today, after several renovations, in the course of the centuries, the monument has a diameter of 59 ft (18 m), at the base. The dome is 11 feet 4 inches (3.45 m) in height from the ground, 164½ ft (50.1 m) in diameter. The compound is paved with granite and there are 2 rows of stone pillars round the dagaba. During the early period vatadage was built round the dagaba.

Lankarama

Lankarama is a stupa built by King Valagamba, in an ancient place at Galhebakada in the ancient kingdom of Anuradhapura, Sri lanka. Nothing is known about the ancient form of the stupa, and later this was renovated. The ruins show that there are rows of stone pillars and it is no doubt that there has been a house built encircling the stupa (vatadage) to cover it. The round courtyard of the stupa seems to be 10 feet (3 m) above the ground. The diameter of the stupa is 45 feet (14 m). The courtyard is circular in shape and the diameter is 1332 feet (406 m).