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The Embekka Dewalaya was built by the King Vikramabahu III during the Gampola Era. It is located in Udunuwara in Kandy District. The Embekka devalawa is dedicated to the worship of Katharagama Deviyo. The Embekka Dewalaya is mostly famous for its wood carvings. UNESCO has identified the wood carvings on the pillars as the finest to be found in any part of the world. Read more...
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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...
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Enderagala Wana Senasuna is a Buddhist temple in a calm and quiet location in Dambulla in the Matale District of Sri Lanka. According to the inscription found in the caves, the history of this temple dates back to the 2nd – 1st century B.C. The temple is located beside the Ambepussa – Kurunegala – Trincomalee (A006) Highway, only 6km away from the Dambulla city. You can reach Enderagala Wana Senasuna withing15 minutes from Dambulla Cave Temple. The Stupa of the temple is located in a rock summit provide panoramic, 360-degree view of the area. On a clear day, you can Read more...
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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...
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The Ruwanwelisaya is a stupa in Anuradhapura District in North Central Province of Sri Lanka, considered a marvel for its architectural qualities and sacred to many Buddhists all over the world. This is one of the Solosmasthana and Atamasthana. This was built by King Dutugemunu in 140 B.C. The stupa is also known as Ruwanweli Maha Seya, Swarnamali Chaitya, Rathnamali Dagaba and Mahathupa. Read more...
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Kirinda Temple is a Buddhist temple in Hambantota District of Southern Province. It is located closer to the Southern coast of Sri Lanka. The temple is built on a summit of a large rock located closer to the coast giving a magnificent view of the beautiful Indian Ocean. The history of this temple is dates back to the reign of King Kawanthissa ( 205–161 BC). As per the story of Queen Viharamahadevi, Kirinda is the place where she was brought by sea and landed. The king Kawanthissa has built this stupa commemorating the incident. Read more...
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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...
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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...
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This is another ruin of the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, which is identified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. An inscription found on the upper level of the staircase identifies this building as the Council Chamber (The Raja Sabhawa in Sinhala) of King Parakramabahu the Great who ruled the country for 33 years from 1153 – 1186 A.D. It is located in front of the Royal Palace of the King. There are two moonstones located at the beginning and the middle of the staircase. Both sides of the staircase are decorated with stone carvings. There are a number of beautifully Read more...
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Tivanka Image House is identified as the image house of Jetavanaramaya Monastery built by the King Parakramabahu the Great (1153 – 1186). It is located in the main archaeological site of Polonnaruwa District in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The name Tivanka (means three bends) is given due to its giant Buddha image is bent at three places, namely shoulder, hip, and knee. The image house is famous due to the paintings on its interior walls. The paintings belong to the 12th century and they depict certain incidents from Jataka Stories and the life of Buddha. Like Thuparamaya and Lankathilaka, this image Read more...
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Buduruwagala is an ancient Buddhist temple located in Monaragala District of Uva Province, Sri Lanka. The Sinhalese name “Buduruwagala” has the meaning of “the rock of Buddhist Sculpture”. As the name suggests, the main attraction of this site is the rock with seven statues including the tallest standing Buddha statue in Sri Lanka. The standing Buddha image sculptured at the center is 51 feet tall, making it the tallest in Sri Lanka. On the right of the Standing Buddha image are the sculptures of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisatva, Goddess Tara, Prince Sudhana and on the left are the sculptures of Maitree Bodhisatva, Read more...
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Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a Buddhist temple in the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha. Sri Dalada Maligawa, possibly the most sacred Buddhist temple for all Buddhists in the world. External Links UNESCO Record www.sridaladamaligawa.lk Read more...
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Among the number of hot water springs in Sri Lanka, the Mahaoya hot water springs are the hottest. These wells are located in Ampara District of Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. In Mahaoya, there are well-maintained 7 wells with different temperatures. The temperature of hottest well is around 56oC. Tourists throughout the world got attracted to this place due to its mythical healing powers. Enter your current location in the search box below the map to find the best route to the Mahaoya hot water springs. Click here to find a list of accommodations around Mahaoya, Sri Lanka. Read more...
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Ritigala is a mountain range located in Anuradhapura District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The mountain contains ruins of an ancient Buddhist monastery. The history of the monastery dates back to the 1st century BC. Ritigala Read more...
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The Ambuluwawa Biodiversity Complex is located in the Gampola area of Kandy District, Central Province. It is a steep mountain and climbs to its peak a bit of a challenge. You can also hire a vehicle to get to the peak. But, climb on foot is an opportunity to view the area. Read more...
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Laxapana Falls is a waterfall located in the Maskeliya area of the Nuwara Eliya District in Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is a picturesque waterfall formed by the Maskeliya Oya upstream which is a tributary of Kelani Ganga. Laxapana Falls is 126m in height and it is the eighth highest waterfall in Sri Lanka. This amazing waterfall is also located in an attractive location that has many hidden caves and natural tunnels. The most convenient route to the Laxapana falls is the Hatton – Maskeliya road. You can go to the top of the waterfall by taking a by road Read more...
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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...
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The Lovamahapaya is one of the Eight Sacred places known as “Atamasthana” and it is located in the Sacred City of Anuradhapura in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. When you walk towards Ruwanweliseya from Sri Maha Bodhiya, The Lovamahapaya can be seen on your right-hand side. According to the Mahawamsa, the Lowamahapaya was a nine-story building and It was built by the King Dutugemunu (161-137 BC). You can read more about this place by visiting the external links given below. Photo Credit: Balou46, ChampikaG External Links: King Dutugemunu’s gracious gift to Maha Sangha The Entrance Into the Tusita-Heaven Read more...
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Koneswaram Temple is a Hindu temple in Trincomalee District of Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. The temple is located in the top of the Swami Rock promontory that overlooks the Indian Ocean, Trincomalee Harbour, and the Trincomalee District. The exact date of construction of the temple remains vague. However, according to the historical evidence, the temple was likely to found before 400 B.C. External Links Koneswaram temple – Wikipedia.org Swami Rock and Koneswaram temple Read more...
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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...
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Kiri Vehera is an ancient stupa located in the Kataragama area which belongs to Monaraga district of Uva province, Sri Lanka. It is believed that the stupa was built by King Mahasena, a regional ruler of this area in 6th century BC. This is one of the 16 sacred sites in Sri Lanka called Solosmasthana. The height of this stupa is 95ft. The famous Ruhunu Maha Kataragama Devalaya also located very closer to this stupa. Read more...
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Thotupola Kanda is the third highest mountain in Sri Lanka and the highest point of which is 2,357m above mean sea level. The mountain belongs to Nuwara Eliya District of Central Province and it is located in the Horton Plains. The name “Thotupola” (in Sinhala) has the meaning of “port (or airport)” and there is a belief that, this name related to the legend Rama-Ravana. According to the legend the king Ravana (Sri Lankan) has used some kind of flying machine and he has landed it in this mountain while kidnapping Sita (Rama’s wife) to take revenge from Rama. Read more...
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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...
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Kallebokka viewpoint is one of the best viewpoints in Sri Lanka which gives 3600 magnificent views of the Kandy, Matale and the beautiful Knuckles Mountain Range. From the viewpoint, you can also see the Sembuwatta Lake, Huluganga valley, Hunnasgiriya, Makulussa Mountain, and Dumbara Mountain range etc… The viewpoint is located in the highest peak of the Kallebokka estate which belongs to Sri Lanka State Plantation Corporation. The estate is located between Kabaragala and Madolkele on the boundary of the Kandy and Matale District. Therefore it can be accessed from both Mathale and Kandy directions. However, the route from Matale to Kabaragala is better in terms Read more...