Map of Attractions in Sri Lanka
The beautiful island country surrounded by the Indian Ocean, is the home to more than one Sri Lanka Temple. Every place in the country has its own unique Sri Lanka Temple, which is sure to captivate you.
Sri Lanka Temple for Buddhists:
The country may be dotted with temples belonging both to Hindus and Buddhists, but the most important Sri Lanka Temple is the Temple of the Tooth. This Sri Lanka Temple is also known as Dalada Maligavia Temple situated in Kandy. It is a sacred shrine revered by the Buddhists, as it contains a tooth of the Buddha in golden casket. This Sri Lanka Temple is open between dawn and dusk. There are 3 regular pujas in a day when Kandyan flutists and drummers play to the glory of the Lord. The temple was constructed under King Vimaladharmasuriya. This Sri Lanka Temple comes into life during the bright festival of Esala Perahera in July or August.
Gal Viharaya is a rock temple, which is located in Polonnaruwa and was built by the King Parakramabahu, the 1st on 12th century AD. Gal Viharaya is one of the most popular Sri Lanka Tourist Spots.
Attractions In Sri Lanka
- Bundala National Park
- Gangaramaya Temple Hunupitiya Lake Rd Colombo Sri Lanka,
- National Museum 854 Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha Colombo 00700 Sri Lanka,
- National Zoological Gardens Colombo Sri Lanka,
- Gem Museum Galle 80000 Sri Lanka,
- Royal Botanic Gardens Peradeniya Rd Peradeniya 20400 Sri Lanka,
- Horton Plains National Park
- Kandy Lake
- Ceylon Tea Museum Hantana Rd Sri Lanka,
- Mihintale
- Minneriya-Giritale Sanctuary Girithale Sri Lanka,
- Kaudulla National Park
- Wasgamuwa National Park
- Somawathie Chaitiya Sanctuary
Facts about Gal Viharaya
The importance of Gal Viharaya lies on the fact that it consist of four most beautiful and popular images of Buddha in four separate positions. The four images of Buddha also vary in their sizes. The most amazing fact about these images is that they are all curved out of a cliff rock that was 56 yards long.
Maligawa Museum
Maligawa Museum is a must-visit place for all those planning to tour the lands of Sri Lanka. As one of the famous Sri Lanka tourist spots, Maligawa Museum is a regular attraction for tourists, who wish to glimpse objects belonging to a rich past.
Maligawa Museum Importance:
When one enters the precincts of Maligawa Museum, one would be surprised at the large amounts of artifacts of bygone days. The articles of the Maligawa Museum are some centuries old. Much of them are objects received by Sri Dalada Maligawa from uncountable nobles, kings and devotees. These items are displayed very attractively within the spacious premises of the Maligawa Museum for visitors. There are numerous devotees who enter the Dalada Maligawa temple to pay their respects to the Sacred Tooth, but many miss out the important Maligawa Museum near it.
Maligawa Museum Collection:
The 2 upper floors of Maligawa Museum houses rare and valuable documents, ola manuscripts, royal clothes, huge models of the Queen and King of Kandy, ritual items and other ornaments and antique objects. Maligawa Museum displays the apparel of King Keerthi Sri, which includes a head cover, manthe or chest cloth, gold embroidered karavaniya, a cotton shirt, saravale or trouser and many handkerchiefs.
Dalada Maligawa
Out of all the hot Sri Lanka Tourist Spots, Dalada Maligawa is one of the most important and is believed to be of immense significance for the Sri Lankans. Dalada Maligawa is situated in Kandy, which is one of the most beautiful cities in Sri Lanka.
Importance of Dalada Maligawa
Dalada Maligawa is the popular name of one of the most significant temples of Sri Lanka, the Temple of Sacred Tooth Relic. The main reason behind the popularity and importance of Dalada Maligawa is that this holy place houses the sacred four canine teeth of Buddha, which were taken out before his final cremation. The sacred tooth of Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka in the 4th century AD and was placed in the Dalada Maligawa, which was then built by the Kandyan King and which formed a part of the Royal Palace. Since then it was worshipped.
Rituals of Dalada Maligawa
Regular worship of the tooth of Buddha is carried on in Dalada Maligawa. Regular rituals are performed in Dalada Maligawa for three times a day without any failure. Some of the important ceremonies that are performed every year at Dalada Maligawa are, Avurudu Mangallaya, Asala Mangallaya, Karthika Mangallaya and Aluth Sahal Mangailaya. The "Sacred Relic" is given a bath on every Wednesday with special "herbal preparations". All the rituals that are held in Dalada Maligawa are worth watching. So, if you visit Sri Lanka, do not forget to go to the sacred Dalada Maligawa.
Sri Lanka Dutch Museum
The Sri Lanka Dutch Museum is also known as the Dutch Period Museum. It is built in an old Dutch House, which is situated on the Prince Street in Pettah.
The Sri Lanka Dutch Museum is one of the most favorite Sri Lanka Tourist spots. It was built in the late17th century and was primarily the residence of Count August Carl Van Ranzow . Now, the house is home to rich artifacts and antiques. Even the side walk of the street are stocked with boutiques and stores displaying rich merchandise.
The restoration construction of Sri Lanka Dutch Museum began in 1977 and was completed in 1981. Thereafter , the museum was opened to the public since 1982. This building has been an architectural inspiration because of its rich display of fillagree motifs and the sculptural patterns. One can get a mixed flavor of the colonial Dutch period and the Sri Lankan indigenous architecture in the Sri Lanka Dutch Museum. The museum displays a rich array of furnitures, ceramics, coins, arms and ammunitions, potteries and sculptures etc, which posit the contemporary richness and vibrancy of the culture and the tradition of Sri Lanka. The museum is the living memento of the surviving history coming down from generations.
The museum is open daily except for the Fridays from 0900 Hrs. to - 1700 Hrs .
Sri Lanka Tourist Spots
Sri Lanka Tourist Spots include Beaches, Coral Sanctuary, Bird Sanctuary, National Park, Religious Places, Museums and Art Galleries, Historic Cities.
Sri Lanka being an island is surrounded by seas on all sides. A coastline of 1340 km is interspersed with renowned beaches. These Beaches constitute the main Sri Lanka Tourist Spots. The renowned beaches in Sri Lanka are :
NORTH
Jaffna - Casuarina Beach in Karainagar, Santhakulum Beach, and Thondaimannar Beach Mannar Island
EAST
Arugam Bay, Batticaloa, Kalkudah and Passekudah, Nilaveli and Trincomalee are some of the Sri Lanka Tourist Attractions on the Eastern Coast.
SOUTH
The southern coast has the most popular beaches. The Sri Lanka Tourist Spots on the Southern beaches include:
Ambalagonda, Bentola, Beruwela, Galle, Hikkaduwa, Mirissa, Tangalla, Unawatuna and Weligama
WEST
Mount Lavinia and Negombo
Religious Places
Religious Places make up noteworthy Sri Lanka Tourist Sites. The main Sri Lanka Tourist Attractions in this category are:
- Dalada Maligawa, Temple of The Tooth is in Kandy. This octagonal structure is surrounded by a deep moat
- Dowa Cave Temple, an important Sri Lanka Tourist Attraction has a 4m sulpted image of Lord Buddha
- Buduruwagala, is a 7-statue complex cut out of rocks on a cliff. The statues sculpted between 8th and 10th centuries belong to The Mahayana Buddha School
- Maligawila and Dambegoda, two Sri Lanka Toutist Sites has two statues of standing Buddha made of crystalline limestone. The one in Maligawalia is 11 m high, and the second statue in Dambegoda is 10 m in height.
- Hikkaduwa Coral Sanctuary off the coast of Hikkaduwa on the Southern Coast
- Bellanwila-Attidiya Bird Sanctuary near Colombo
- Udawattekale Sanctuary near Kandy
- Hakgala Botanical Gardens
- Kandalama Sanctuary
- Yala or Ruhuna National Park
- Horton Plains National Park
- Adam's Peak
- National Museum in Colombo
- The National Maritime Museum, Galle
Sri Lanka National Maritime Museum is situated in Galle and is one of the primary Sri Lanka tourist spots. Sri Lanka National Maritime Museum is found within the premises of the Galle Fort, which is fashioned in an old, colonial warehouse belonging to Dutch times.
Sri Lanka National Maritime Museum Information:
The building has stately pillars and the every element of the animal and plant life is exhibited in the Sri Lanka National Maritime Museum.
Sri Lanka National Maritime Museum Features:
There are life size models in the Sri Lanka National Maritime Museum depicting the traditional fishing techniques. Other artifacts of the museum pertain to archaeological objects of underwater life. The displayed items are very impressive and for eager visitors there is a special display called 'walk into the sea'. This projects coral beds in their natural state along with sea fishes and sea grass beds.
Sri Lanka National Maritime Museum Location:
The Sri Lanka National Maritime Museum is located adjacent to the New Oriental Hotel in Galle. Visitors will surely find this information handy before booking hotels. The Sri Lanka National Maritime Museum remains open between 9.00 am. and 5.00 pm. Sri Lanka Archaeological Museum
Sri Lanka Archaeological Museum refers to all the brilliant archeological museums, which have been established by the Archeological Department of the Sri Lankan Government.
Archeological Museums of Sri Lanka
Archeological Department has set up a number of Archaeological Museums in different parts of Sri Lanka such as Anuradhapura, Mihintale, Vavuniya, Kandy, Dedigama, Jaffna, Isurumunia, Sigiriya, Kotte, Deegavapiya, and Kataragama.
Anuradhapura Archeological Museum
This is one of the most popular of all the Sri Lanka Archaeological Museum, which is situated in between Ruwanweli Seya and Brazen Palace. This museum exhibits many priceless relics that can be traced back to the ancient periods.
Important Information for the Visitors
It will be wise on the part of every eager visitor to gather proper information about Sri Lanka Archaeological Museum before visiting them personally. This will prove to be very beneficial. Visitors are allowed to visit all the archeological museums, but there are certain important formalities that have to be met. In case you are willing to visit the museums, which are under the Cultural Triangle's Archeological Programme, you are required to get passes from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. If the visitors want to lock the beauty of these museums in their cameras, they have to get permission from the Director General of Department of Archeology. Wewurukannala Vihara
Wewurukannala Vihara is one of the most popular and important Buddhist shrine in Sri Lanka, which is located in the town of Dikwella. Wewurukannala Vihara, which can be dated back to the period of 1782, is one of the most popular Sri Lanka Tourist Spots.
Importance of Wewurukannala Vihara
The most important aspect of Wewurukannala Vihara is that it consists of a gigantic statue of Buddha, who is shown in a seating posture. The grandness of this image of Buddha can be very well grasped from the fact that it is 160 feet tall. In fact, it will be proper to say that Wewurukannala Vihara is practically dominated by this huge sculpture of Buddha. Buduruwagala Rock Sculptures
Buduruwagala rock sculptures are one of the best archaeological finds in Sri Lanka that attracts thousands of tourists. It is lies to the south of Wellawaya and located on the way to Tissa. It belongs to the Uva Province. The Buduruwagala rock sculptures are the stone images of lord Buddha dating back to 10 A.D. These rock sculptures were the endeavor of the Mahayana school of Buddhism that believed in rituals and worshiping. Buduruwagala in regional language means the stone image of Buddha. Sigiriya Rock
Sigiriya Rock is one of the most important of all the Sri Lanka Tourist Spots, which is situated in the central part of Sri Lanka. Sigiriya Rock is actually a "rock fortress", which was built by King Kasyapa.
Interesting Sites of Sigiriya Rock
There are a number of important archeological sites in the Sigiriya Rock that accounts for its ever increasing popularity as a tourist destination.
- Gardens - There are a number of interesting gardens in the palace, which were all built by King Kashyapa. The Water Garden, Terrace Garden and the Boulder Garden are the beautiful sites to visit in Sigiriya Rock. The beauty of the gardens can be viewed from the top most point of the rock.
- Audience Hall - This is made of a huge split rock. The portion of the rock which has fallen is known as the Audience Hall Rock. This is five meter long. The other half of the rock is used to form a water reservoir, which is named as Cistern Rock.
- Cobra Hood Cave - This is another attraction of Sigiriya Rock, which is so named because of its shape. This is believed to be used by the Buddhist priests in the 3rd century BC.
- Preaching Rock - This is yet another important site to visit in Sigiriya Rock, which is also believed to have been used long back by the Buddhist monks while delivering their sermons.
| Famous Travel Destinations |
| Sigiriya | Royal Botanical Gardens |
| Dambulla Cave Temple | Bundala National Park |
| Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage | Hakgala Botanical Garden |
| Yala National Park | Pidurutalagala |
| Sri Pada | Viharamahadevi Park |
| Sinharaja Forest Reserve | Kumana National Park |
| Temple Of The Tooth | Kandy Lake |
| Horton Plains National Park | Devon Falls |
| Dehiwala Zoo | St. Clairs Falls |
| Udawalawe National Park | Udawatta Kele Sanctuary |
