Srilanka Travel Best Destinations

POLONNARUWA

POLONNARUWA was the 2nd capital of Sri Lanka built in the 11th and 12th centuries AD, and is a world heritage site. Here you can see the ruins of the Royal Palace, The Galviharaya where 4 splendid statues of lord Buddha in ‘Upright’, ‘Sedentary’ and ‘Recumbent’ postures carved out of rock could be seen, the Audience hall, The lotus bath, the statue of King Parakramabahu, and the Parakrama samudraya – a lake built by King Parakramabahu the Great. There are also places of worship such as the Shiva temple, the Lankathilake, the Watadage, the Galpotha, the Kiri Vehera and the remains of former Temple of the Tooth Relic.

KANDY

In 1592 Kandy became the capital city of the last remaining independent kingdom in Sri Lanka after the coastal regions had been conquered by the Portuguese. Invasions by the Portuguese and the Dutch (16th, 17th and 18th century) and also by the British (most notably in 1803) were repelled. The last ruling dynasty of Kandy was the Nayaks of Kandy. Kandy preserved its independence until it finally fell to the British in 1815. The British deposed the king, Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, and all claimants to the throne, thus ending the last traditional monarchy of Sri Lanka, and replaced it with their monarchy. As the capital, Kandy had become home to the relic of the tooth of the Buddha which symbolizes a 4th-century tradition that used to be linked to royalty since the protector of the relic was seen fit to rule the land. Thus, the Royal Palace and the Temple of the Tooth were associated with the administrative and religious functions of the capital city. Even after its conquest by the British, Kandy has preserved its function as the religious capital of the Sinhalese and a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists, namely those belonging to the Theravada school. Visit the Kandy town and Bazaar, The arts & crafts centre, a Gem museum and a lapidary.
KANDY is the venue of the Esela Perahera, the most colorful pageant in Asia, held every year in July/August in honour of the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha. As the pageantry of the Asela Perahera unfolds through ten nights and ends with a day pageant which concludes the festival. Each year the city takes on the air of a torch-lit dreamland, complete with a hundred or more colorfully caparisoned elephants, drummers and over three thousand dancers, Chieftains in the rare colorful trappings of the old kingdom.

ANURADHAPURA

ANURADHAPURA is an ancient city, located at a distance of 206 km from Colombo. The city is in northern Sri Lanka and is the capital of North-Central province. Anuradhapura was established in 4th century BC. It was the first capital of Sri Lanka and remained so until 8th century AD. Anuradhapura is an archaeologist's delight and contains several monuments of historical importance. The city is considered very sacred by the Buddhists and is home to the largest dagobas in Sri Lanka. A dagoba is a dome enshrining sacred relics or the bodily remains of the Buddha, or articles used by Him like the alms bowl and other objects of veneration. It is built in different sizes on a pedestal with a spire on top crowned with a pinnacle. The earliest dagobas had a stone umbrella on top of the dome in place of the spire. ANURADHAPURA is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka famous for its well preserved ruins of ancient Lankan civilization. The city is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the oldest continuously inhabitant cities in the world. This ancient city considered sacred to the Buddhists is today surrounded by monasteries covering an area of 40 kms. The ruins consist of 3 classes of buildings: Dagobas (bell shaped masses of masonry. Some of them contain enough masonry to build a town for 25,000 inhabitants), Monastic buildings (raised stone platforms, foundations and stone pillars) & Pokunas (bathing tanks and tanks for the supply of drinking water). The city also contains a sacred Bo tree which is said to date back to the year 245 B.C.