It's not just about beaches and wildlife only...
Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, was ‘colonized’ from the Indian peninsula in the 6th century BC by Singhali, ancestors to the present day Sinhalese population, most likely from Northern India. In the 3rd century BC Buddhism was introduced, which to this day it is the biggest religion in the country. Because of the different influences coming into Sri Lanka at different times of its early history, the main Buddhist religion has become a bit mixed with Hinduism. The Buddhists on the island also know a caste system, which is actually a part of the Hindu religion. When visiting Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka you will often find Krishna statues in corners hidden behind curtains. There have been a series of different kingdoms throughout Sri Lanka’s history, which have left the most interesting buildings, temples and other places you can find on the island today, about which more information shortly.
When Sri Lanka was first discovered by Europeans, the Portuguese arrived in 1505, the island served for a long time as a port and a place where ships of the Portuguese and later the Dutch would take in food and water on their way to other destinations further east. The Dutch, who took over from the Portuguese in 1658, were also interested in trading cinnamon with the king of Kandy, but it was the English, who followed the Dutch in dominating the island in 1796, who really colonized the whole island and ruled it for about a hundred and fifty years, until independence in 1948. It was also the English who introduced tea to Sri Lanka, after trying to grow coffee had failed, and laid the bases for the world renowned Ceylon tea we know today. In 1972 the island changed its name and became Sri Lanka.
Shortly after gaining independence in 1948, the official language was changed to Sinhalese. When prime-minister Solomon Bandaranaike wanted to allow the Tamil language in certain areas of the island, he was killed by a Sinhalese extremist, and succeeded in office by his wife Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the first female prime-minister anywhere in the world ever. Since those days there have been skirmishes, attacks, and killings between the two biggest ethnical groups on the island on and off, until the last conflict, the civil war that started in the eighties, was finally resolved in 2009 after the decisive defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. If you’re interested in culture and heritage, you would do well to visit the old royal cities, all of them UNESCO World Heritage, in the northern part of the island. They are situated closely together so you can visit them in really no time at all.
Polonnaruwa was the thriving commercial and religious center of Sri Lanka about 800 years ago. It consists of a lot of temples and religious buildings. For three centuries it was the royal capital, of both the Chola and Sinhalese kingdoms. In Polonnaruwa, it all started in the late 10th century when the South Indian Chola dynasty had conquered Sri Lanka.
You can find stupas, Siva temples, and the royal palaces here, and the four Buddha statues of the Gal Vihara are considered to be the finest example of sculpture art in Sri Lanka
In the mountainous center of the island, was the last royal capital of the country, until the British took control of the whole island in 1815. Kandy is most well-known for its Temple of the Tooth where a canine tooth of the Buddha is enshrined. The 10 day Perahera festivities in the summer, during which the tooth is paraded around the city, are a great time to visit Kandy. And nearby Peradeniya Gardens are a nice venue to go for a walk and admire the beautiful orchids and countryside, which due to its elevation has a cooler climate than the lowlands near the coast. That’s also why most tea is grown in this area.
Dambulla and Sigiriya can be seen on the same day as they are situated very closely together. Dambulla has more than 80 caves, five shrines, four monasteries and a lot of statues to explore and admire. Frescoes depict stories about Mara’s temptation of the Buddha. Sigiriya, or lion’s rock, was founded in the 5th and deserted in the 14th century AD. The complex consists of walled gardens and canals, and on top of the rock, a citadel, which doubled as the royal palace. You can visit what is left of it by climbing a breathtaking cut out stairway up the rock, you shouldn’t have vertigo though. The stairway leads past some beautiful frescoes halfway through. On the top, you can enjoy the view of the surrounding land along with the ruins of the palace.
Dambulla and Sigiriya can be seen on the same day as they are situated very closely together. Dambulla has more than 80 caves, five shrines, four monasteries and a lot of statues to explore and admire. Frescoes depict stories about Mara’s temptation of the Buddha. Sigiriya, or lion’s rock, was founded in the 5th and deserted in the 14th century AD. The complex consists of walled gardens and canals, and on top of the rock, a citadel, which doubled as the royal palace. You can visit what is left of it by climbing a breathtaking cut out stairway up the rock, you shouldn’t have vertigo though. The stairway leads past some beautiful frescoes halfway through. On the top, you can enjoy the view of the surrounding land along with the ruins of the palace.
A town in Puttalam located 80kms away from Colombo capital. The name Chilaw derives its name from its Tamil name Cilāpam, meaning pearl fishery. There is a saying in Sri Lanka that Chilaw is well known for the three ‘C’s’ – Crabs, Coconuts and Coreas.
Main Attractions – Manavari Temple, Munneswaram temple
Tourists visit the well known Hindu temple located in Munneswaram, situated in the historic Demala Pattuva (“Tamil division”) region in the Puttalam District. Every year people flock to Chilaw to observe the Munneswaram Festival. Traders sell various hand painted animals made out of clay such as the deer, money box tills and ‘raban’ (traditional hand drums) from stalls all over the town, during the Munneswaram Festival.
Mannar is known for its baobab trees and for its fort, built by the Portuguese in 1560 and taken by the Dutch in 1658 and rebuilt; its ramparts and bastions are intact, though the interior is largely destroyed. Visually, the modern town is dominated by its churches, Hindu temples and mosques.
Main Attractions – National Shrine of Our Lady of Madu, Thiruketheeswaram Temple
Shrine of Our Lady of Madu – With a history of over 400 years, this shrine acts as a center for pilgrimage and worship for Sri Lankan Catholics. The site is considered as the holiest Catholic shrine in the island and is a well-known place of devotion for both Tamil and Sinhalese Catholics. The church has been a symbol of unity not just between Tamils and Sinhalese, but also between people of different religions, including Buddhists, Hindus and Protestants
Thiruketheeswaram Temple – An ancient Hindu temple in Mannar, Northern Province Sri Lanka. Overlooking the ancient Tamil port towns of Manthai and Kudiramalai, the temple has lain in ruins, been restored, renovated and enlarged by various royals and devotees throughout its history.
Pilgrimage town is sacred to Buddhist, Hindu and indigenous Vedda people of Sri Lanka. People from South India also go there to worship. The town has the Kataragama temple, a shrine dedicated to Skanda Kumara also known as Kataragama deviyo.
The ancient Kiri Vehera Buddhist stupa, which is believed to be built by the regional king Mahasena in the 6th century BC is also a major attraction in Kataragama area.
Anuradhapura is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of an ancient Sinhala civilization. It was the third capital of the kingdom of Rajarata, following the kingdoms of Tambapanni and Upatissa Nuwara.
The city, now a World Heritage site, was the centre of Theravada Buddhism for many centuries. The city lies in the North Central Province, on the banks of the historic Malvathu River. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and one of the eight World Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka.
Atamasthana or Eight sacred places are a series of locations in Sri Lanka where the Buddha had visited during his three visits to the country. The sacred places are known as Jaya Sri Maha Bodhiya, Ruwanwelisaya, Thuparamaya, Lovamahapaya, Abhayagiri Dagaba, Jetavanarama, Mirisawetiya Stupa and Lankarama. All of them are situated in Anuradhapura.
Kelaniya (Kalyani) is mentioned in Ramayana and in the Buddhist chronicle, the Mahawansa which states that the Gautama Buddha (5th century BC) visited the place, after which the dagaba of the temple was built.
The suburb is also of historical importance as the capital of a provincial king Kelani Tissa (1st century BC) whose daughter, Viharamahadevi was the mother of king Dutugemunu the great, regarded as the most illustrious of the 186 or so kings of Sri Lanka between the 5th century BC and 1815.
Sri Lankan Buddhists believe that the Buddha visited Kelaniya in order to quell a quarrel between the Nāga leaders of two warring factions: Chulo Dara (literally “the small-bellied one”) and Mahodara (literally “the big-bellied one”). They were quarrelling over a jewel-encrusted throne. After the Buddha showed them the futility of their quarrel they converted to Buddhism and together offered the throne to the Buddha. It is believed that the Dagaba (Sthupa or Buddhist temple) seen today was built with the throne as a relic inside.