Hakgala Botanical Garden is the second largest in Sri Lanka. It is located 10 km away from the Nuwara Eliya town. The cool climate of the garden make you feel more comfortable. The garden was established in 1861 as an experimental cultivation of Cinchona in Sri Lanka. The garden is spread over 28 hectares. There are over 10,000 species of flora planted here. External Links Department of Trade, Commerce & Tourism,Central Provincial Council Ministry of Sustainable Development and Wildlife Department of National Botanical Gardens Read more...

The Jathika Namal Uyana is located in Anuradhapura District of North Central Province. This can be accessed through Madatugama Pubbogama Andiyagala road and 6.5km away from the Kandy-Jaffna Highway (see the below map for exact location). This is the largest ironwood forest in Sri Lanka and where Asia’s largest rose quartz mountain is located in. The Jathika Namal Uyana had been a sanctuary for Buddhist monks during the era of King Devanampiyatissa. Later it had been used as a prison camp where the punishment was to plant Na trees.   External Links Mother Nature’s wonderful creation Jathika Namal Uyana Sri Read more...

Nalanda Gedige is a building completely built with stone located in Matale District of Central Province Sri Lanka. The building was estimated to have been constructed between the 8th & 10th centuries and has the influence of the Pallava architecture. The building has designed like a Hindu temple. However, the building said to have been used as a temple by Buddhists. The building has richly decorated with stone carvings. Front View Rear View Pavilion Entrance Rock Carvings at Nalanda Gedige   This slideshow requires JavaScript. Read more...

Sithulpawwa Rajamaha Viharaya is one of the greatest ancient Buddhist monasteries located in the Hambanthota District in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. The history of the monastery dates back to 2nd century BC. It is believed that this place was built by King Kawanthissa ( 205–161 BC). According to Buddhist literature, this place was a center for Buddhist education for Buddhist monks, and once there had been 12,000 arhat monks around this location. Many caves, temples, images, houses, stupas, and ponds located around this large area bear witness to this story. Read more...

Sathmahal Prasadaya is a unique type of 7 storied ancient building in Dalada Maluwa premises in Polonnaruwa District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The Sinhala name “Sathmahal” has the meaning of 7 storied. The building is completely built with bricks and it takes the shape of a pyramid. The base of the building is the shape of a square with side length of 35 ft. There are four doors with arches on each side. Since these type of buildings have been found in Northern Thailand, this is also considered as a monument which confirms the foreign affairs in ancient Sri Lanka. Read more...

The Maligavila sacred place is famous for its giant free-standing Buddha Statue belongs to 7th century. It is located in the Monaragala District of Uva Province, Sri Lanka.  According to the ancient chronicle Chulavamsa, the Statue has been made by a Prince named Aggabodhi. The Buddha statue is 14.5m tall and it has carved out of a single limestone. Initially, there had been an image house surrounding this statue and the foundation of it can still be seen today. At about 500 m to the southeast, there is another statue called Dambegoda Bodhisattva Statue. According to the Mahavamsa, this statue has been Read more...

Korathota Raja Maha Viharaya is an ancient Buddhist temple located in Kaduwela, Colombo District of Sri Lanka. This temple, which dates back to 2000 years, is one of the few ancient temples found in the Western Province, sited on the top of a mountain next to the Belungala Rock in Kaduwela. This temple boasts of having the oldest and longest cave inscriptions in the Colombo district. Enter your current location in the search box below the map to find the best route to the Korathota Raja Maha Viharaya. Click here to find a list of accommodations around Kaduwela, Sri Lanka. Read more...

Pigeon Island National Park is one of the two marine national parks of Sri Lanka. It is located in 1km off the coast of Nilaveli in Trincomalee District in Eastern Province and the total area is 47,429 hectares. You can reach the island by 15 minutes boat ride from the Nilaveli beach. The coastal length of the island is 8.34km. In 1963 it was designated as a sanctuary and redesignated as a National Park in 2003. The name of the Island “Pigeon” was derived from the Rock Pigeons which colonized it. This national park contains some of the best remaining Read more...

Victoria Park is located in the center of the Nuwara Eliya City. It is a quiet place inside the busy city of Nuwara Eliya. The park has formally named in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria‘s 60th anniversary.  Originally the park has been the research field of Hakgala Botanical Garden. The Park has established by the planting of its first tree, an Oak, by a visiting German Princess. Read more...

The Horton Plains National Park is a popular tourist destination located in the Nuwara Eliya district of Central Province, Sri Lanka. The plateau on which Horton Plains is located in is the highest plateau in the country. It is well known for its beautiful landscape of rolling hills, rare plants, and animal lives.  The average temperature of the area is about 160C. The elevation of the park range from 1200 – 2300 meters. The Horton Plains is spread over bout 3160 hectares. This region was designated a national park in 1988. The combination of  Horton plains, its surroundings forests, and the Read more...

Isurumuniya is a Buddhist temple located in Anuradhapura District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The history of this temple dates back to reign of King Devanampiya Tissa (307 BC to 267 BC). Later this has been renovated by the King Kasyapa I (473-491 AD). Isurumuniya is most famous for stone carvings, especially the “Isurumuni Lovers” carving. In addition to that there are many other stone carvings can be seen in this temple. Isurumuni Lovers Stone carvings and sculptures   This slideshow requires JavaScript. Read more...

Dambulla Cave Temple or the Golden Temple of Dambulla can be considered as the best-preserved largest Buddhist art gallery belongs to the Kingdom of Kandy. And it has been a sacred pilgrimage site for 22 centuries. Also, it is the largest cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. According to the legend, these caves were initially developed as a temple by the king Walagamba (in 1st century BCE). The temple is located in Matale District of Central Province. It can be reached by Kandy-Jaffna road ( better known as A9 road). If you are coming from the Colombo side it can Read more...

The Devon Falls is located in the Nuwara Eliya District of Central Province, Sri Lanka. The waterfall is 97 meters high and it is the 19th highest waterfall in Sri Lanka. The waterfall is a part of the Kothmale Oya,  a tributary of the Mahaweli River. The Devon Falls can be easily seen from the Avissawella – Hatton – Nuwara Eliya road (see the map for the most suitable viewpoint). The St. Clairs Falls located close to this waterfall. Read more...

The Dematamal Viharaya is an ancient Buddhist temple in the Okkampitiya village in Monaragala District, Sri Lanka.  The history of this temple dates back to the 2nd – 3rd century BC. According to the legend, this is the temple which the King King Saddhatissa hid after being defeated in the battle with King Dutugemunu (Brother of King Saddhatissa). External Links ගැමුණු කුමරුට බියේ තිස්‌ස කුමරු සැඟවී සිටි දෙමටමල් විහාරය දෙටුමල් නමින් බිහිවූ දෙමටමල් විහාරය Read more...

The Somawathiya Stupa is said to be enshrined the right tooth relic of Lord Buddha. It is located in Somawathiya Rajamaha Vihara premises in Polonnaruwa District of North Central Province. The area in which the temple located belongs to the Somawathiya National Park as well. The stupa was built during the reign of the King Kavanthissa (205–161 BC ) and it was named after his sister called princes Somawathi. Enter your current location in the search box below the map to find the best route to the Somawathiya Stupa. Click here to find a list of accommodations around Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.   External Read more...

The Fort Frederick is a fort built in 1624 CE by Portuguese as a military encampment at Trincomalee District in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. It was built from the debris of the famous ancient Hindu Koneswaram temple that was destroyed by the Portuguese. It has been an important military site for centuries. In 1665 the fort was rebuilt by the Dutch and again it was taken over by the British in 1795. Although the Fort Frederick is used today by the Sri Lankan military you are allowed to explore some parts of it. The Gokanna Temple and the rebuilt Koneswaram Read more...

The Ambewela New Zealand Farm is one of the dairy farms managed by “Lanka Milk Food” company. The farm is located in Nuwara Eliya District of Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is open to visitors and you can see the milking process at 12.30 pm every day. The road to the farm traverse through a landscape with eye-catching grasslands. Read more...

The Mirisaweti Stupa is located in Anuradhapura District of North Central Province. The stupa has been built by the king Dutugemunu (161BC – 137BC) after defeating South Indian invader king Elara. According to the legends, one day the King Dutugemunu had gone to Tissa Wewa for a bath leaving the scepter here. Once he returns to the scepter, it is said that it could not be moved from that place. As a result, the King has constructed this Stupa on the place where the scepter stuck. It is also said that it had been a practice of the King Dutugemununu Read more...

Thuparamaya is considered to be the first Stupa built in Anuradhapura, after the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka. It is also one of the “Atamasthana” (8 most sacred places of Buddhists in Sri Lanka). The stupa was built during the reign of King Devanampiyathissa (307 BC to 267 BC). It is believed that the stupa enshrines the right collarbone Relic of the Lord Buddha. Thuparamaya Read more...

Eth Pokuna or Elephant Pond is a huge man-made ancient pond located in the Sacred City of Anuradhapura District in North Central Province. It is 52.7 m in width and 159 m in length. The depth of the pond is about 9.5 m. Supplying of water to the pond has been done by underground channels from the Periyakulam Tank. These water-supplying channels are still in working condition even after hundreds of years. The pond is surrounded by a number of ruins belongs to the Abhayagiri Monastery. Therefore this pond also may be built for the use of monks belongs to Read more...

Hatadage is an ancient shrine in the Polonnaruwa District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. It was built by the King Nissanka Malla (1187-1196 A.D.). This had been used to place the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha. According to historical sources, the shrine has built in sixty hours. The English translation of the Sinhalese word “Hata” is sixty, represent the duration of the construction period and the word “Dage” has the meaning of “relic shrine”. The remaining features of the building for today, evidence that the shrine was originally a two-story building. The shrine is 120 ft in length Read more...

The Sankapala Raja Maha Viharaya is located in the Ratnapura District of Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. According to rock inscription found here, the history of this temple goes back to the reign of King Dutugemunu (161-137 BC). As said by the legends, there had been Ten Giants in king Dutugemunu’s troops. The giant Pussadeva is one of them who had a special skill of blowing conch shells (“Sankha” in Sinhala) so loudly. The symbol of the giant was also the conch shell itself. After winning the Vijithapura war, the king Dutugemunu has offered this area to the Pussadeva giant. Later, he has Read more...

Pothgul Vehera is located in the Polonnaruwa District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The Sinhalese name “Pothgull” has the meaning of “place to store books”. As such, with the other historical evidence, this ancient place has been identified as the oldest Buddhist library complex in the country. It was built by the King Parakramabahu the Great (1153-1186). Click here to find a list of accommodations around Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka on Booking.com   Read more...

Galboda Ella (or Galaboda Ella) is a waterfall located in Nawalapitiya area of Kandy District in Central Province, Sri Lanka. The waterfall is about 30m high and width ranges from 3 m to 6 m. It is also located nearby the Watawala which is one of the areas get the highest rainfall in Sri Lanka. The waterfall can be accessed by both road and railway. If you are traveling by a vehicle, you have to park the vehicle about 2km away from the waterfall and have to walk along the trail. When traveling by train, you need to get down Read more...