Sri Lanka Travel Destinations. Nature, Historical, Exotic places

Use Google Translator at Navigation Bar to read in Sinhala or Tamil or in any other Language

Sri Lanka - The Pearl of the Indian Ocean

The Finest Island in the World for its size - That's how Marco Polo, the famous explorer, described Sri Lanka on his travel accounts. He set foot to Sri Lanka in 1292 AD and was one of the many famous travellers who visited the country that is called The Pearl of the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka travel destinations are numerous and the Cultural Heritage Sites of Cultural Triangle consisting of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kandy, Sigiriya and Dambulla Cave Temple are favourite tourist destinations. Anuradhapura was the island's capital for around 1400 years. Anuradhapura was home to the world's one of the largest monuments at that time, namely the Jetavanarama dagoba. It was almost as large as the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt and taller than the London's St. Paul's Cathedral. British writer James Emerson Tennent had calculated and stated that with the amount of bricks used to build the Jetavana dagoba, it would be sufficient to line an ordinary railway tunnel twenty miles long. The famous twenty two centuries old Bo Tree which is reputed to be a sapling of the Bo tree which Buddha got enlightened is also situated in Anuradhapura. Polonnaruwa era has given the most facinating and the finest Buddha images of all history of Sri Lanka. The fifteen metre long reclined Buddha statue carved out of living rock can be found at Polonnaruwa. The most beautiful stone carvings are to be found at ancient Polonnaruwa cultural sites.

"To me the beauty of Ceylon lies not so much in its blue seas and golden beaches, its jungles and its mountain peaks, as in its ancient atmosphere. There is no nation, from Egypt of the Pharaohs to modern Britain, in whose literature this island has not at some time been mentioned by one or other of its many names - Lanka, Serendib, Taprobane, Ceilao, Zeilan, to recall a few. History lies buried in its sands, and ghosts of romance lurk among its bastioned rocks, for Lanka is very, very old."

Sigiriya which is considered as a Wonder of the World, has its archeology lineage stretching upto pre and protohistoric times. However the present royal complex and the urban area belongs to AD 477-495 period in which time Kasyapa I reigned. Sigiriya Rock is a massive inselburg or a monadock rising about 200 metres from the surrounding plains. The rock plateau where the citadel was built has an area of 1.5 hectares. There are three types of garden forms and these are the earliest surviving landscaped gardens in Asia. About 100 metres above ground level of western face of the rock depression are the famous Sigiriya frescoes. They depict celestial nymphs locally called as Apsaras. While leading to the Lion Staircase one come across another magnificent feature of Sigiriya. That is a highly polished plaster surfaced wall along a walkway referred to as the Mirror Wall with Sinhala poems written . After Sigiriya was abandoned it became a place for the people of the country to visit to see the ruined palace and people used to write about how they felt seeing the Apsaras. There are around 700 deciphered poems known as "Sigiri graffiti". Little away from Sigiriya is the ancient monastic complex of Dambulla. During the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa era, a monastery was buit at the foot of the rock and the uppermost terrace was converted into image shrine houses. These were restored during the period of the Kandyan Kingdom and there are more than 2000 square meters of rock wall paintings at Dambulla Cave Temple as it is called now. Kandy is the last in the chronological order of the Cultural Triangle sites. Though founded in 14th century there aren't many monuments belonging to the earlier periods but displays living architecture of 18th and early 19th century. Kandyan architecture displays the pre modern urban planning of grid laid out road network similar to classical period of Sigiriya. The most venarated Buddha's Tooth Relic is housed at Kandy Dalada Maligawa or Temple of Tooth Relic. The procession to honour the Buddha Tooth relic which takes place every year is called as Kandy Perahera is a spectacular event comprised with nearly a hundred of caparisoned elephants, dancers, tom-tom beaters and torch bearers. Kandy, Dambulla Temple, Sigiriya , Udawattakele, Galle, Uda Walawe, are some of the favourite one day trip places in Sri Lanka. There are other famous Historical Places such as Ritigala, Yapahuwa, to name a few. Among exotic travel destinations the fascinating Beaches of Sri Lanka take the prominence. Nature tourism hotspots consists of Sinharaja Rain Forest, Nuwara Eliya, Horton Plains Nature Reserve, Knuckles Mountain Range and sanctuaries of Yala, Wasgamuwa and Wilpattu. Tropical beauty amidst the greenery and wildlife awaits for you in many uncommon places you can discover while you are in Sri Lanka. One can awaken the spirituality amidst the serinity of sacred Buddhist sites which are scattered throughout the island. For the trigger happy photographer opportunities for picture worthy surroundings will be a galore to take back vivid memories of an unforgettable tour! .

"And away off in the deeps of the jungle and in the remoteness of the mountains were the ruined cities and the mouldering temples, mysterious relics of the pomps of a forgotten time and vanished race"

Eminent British historian Sir James Emerson Tennent has written that " There is no Island in the world , Great Britain itself not excepted, that has attracted the attention of authors in so many distant ages and so many different countries as Ceylon". Here is a quote from the Serendib Magazine. "The mountains, the jungles, the ruined cities, the lakes, the game reservations, the misty upland tea estates, will all have their advocates but to me there is nothing that can compare with the beaches and the reefs. To see these at their best, you have to get well away from the towns. Drive south of Colombo for 50 kilometers, or fly across the island to the sun drenched loneliness of the east coast and you may find yourself the only human being on a crescent of soft white sand, enclosing a bay of the purest blue water, fringed by palm trees of astonishing height and slenderness".