Welcome

Anuradapura, the 1st capital of sri lanka , located in the north central part of the island was developed and organized as a city by king Pandukabaya about 380 B.C. Archelogical studies show that people may have lived in this area as early as the 10th contury B.C. The sacred Bo – Tree, a branch grown from the tree under which prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment was brought to Anuradapura from india by arahat Sanghamitta in 3rd contury B.C and is the city's holiest site. Over 1000 years the county was ruled from this city by the Sinhalease kings until the kingdom moved to south – west, establishing the next capital, polonnaruwa in 11th century. The city is now a "UNESCO" world heritage site.

Polonnaruwa was the 2nd capital of Sri - Lanka as the kingdom shifted from Anuradhapura to polonnaruwa in the 11th contury. A.D.

Sigiriya is an ancient rock fortress and place ruin, surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs & other structures. Sigiriya was built by king Kashyapa (477 A.D – 495 A.D) and it is now one of the Seven World heritage sites of Sri Lanka.

History

This area was occupied nearly 5000 years ago during the Mesolithic period. Buddhist monastic settlements were established surrounding the Sigiriya Rock during the 3rd century B.C. As the legend goes prince "Kasyapa" seized the throne from king "Dathusena" in 477 A.D, following a coup assisted by "Migara", the kings nephew and army commander. Kasyapa, the king's son by a non – royal consort usurped the rightful heir, Moggallana, son by the true queen who fled to South India. Fearing an attack from Moggallana, Kasyapa moved the capital and his residence from Anuradhapura to the more secure Sigiriya. During king Kasyapa's reign from 477 to 495 A.D Sigiriya was developed into a complex city and fortress. Kasyapa was defeated in 495 A.D by Moggallana who moved the capital again to Anuradapura. Then Sigiriya was turned into a Buddhist monastery which lasted until 13th or 14th century and after this period no records has found on Sigiriya until 16th and 17th centuries when it was used as outpost of the kingdom of Kandy. When the kingdom ended, it was abanded again and in the mid 19th century when the country has under the British rule, Sigiriya came to the attention again. The Cultural Triangle Project launched by the Government of Sri Lanka, focused its attention on Sigiriya in 1982 and archaeological work began on the entire city.

The sri maha Bodhi Tree is a branch of the original tree under which prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment (Nirvana) and was sent to Sri Lanka by the great Indian emperor Asoka around 245 B.C. The tree was planted on a high terrace about 21 feet (6.5) alove the ground and surrounded by railings. The Sri maha Bodhi tree is the recorded oldest living tree (2200 years old) in the world and one of the most sacred relics in Sri Lanka respected & worshiped by Buddhists all over the world.

Thuparamaya was built by king Devanampiyathissa (250 – 210 B.C) on arahat Mahinda's request who introduced Theravada Buddhism to the country and was the 1st dagaba built in Sri Lanka. Thuparamaya in which the Buddha's collar – bone was enshrined, was built in the shape of a heap of paddy at that time. Dagaba (stupa) was destroyed from time to time and it's present "bell" shape appearance is due to reconstructions in the 1862 A.D. The compound is paved with granite and there are 2 rows of stone pillars around dagaba which prove the existence of a well – built "vatadage" (Circular Relic house) around it, during the early periods.

The stupa is known as "Mahathupa", "Swarnamali Chaitya", "Rathnamali Dagaba" and today it is Ruwanweliseya. This was the dagaba of "Maha – vihara" monastery complex and was built by Sinhalese hero king Dutugamunu (161 – 137 B.C) after the battle. Sacred relics, the bodily remains of the Buddha were enshrined in the dome (relic chamber) by the king. Although it is not the original form today after several reconstructions, still it looks magnificent. The compound is supported by stone elephants and the stupa is guarded by a surrounding wall with 1900 figures of elephants. (475 on each side) on the top of the stupa there was a big ruby and today it is replaced with a rock crystal. At the 4 cardinal points of the stupa are 4 vahalkadas (front pieces) which have preserved some very old sculptures.

Mirisaweti stupa was built by king Dutugemunu (161 – 137 B.C) after the great victory. According to mahawansa (The great history book of Ceylon) after placing Buddha's relics in the scepter, the king had gone to Tisawewa (a reservoir) for a Bath. When he returned to the place it is said that the scepter could not be moved & the stupa was built in the place where the scepter stood. Another legend says that king Dutugemunu built this stupa in oder to punish him self for eating a chilly curry with out offering it to Sangha. (Monks) The stupa was renovated from time to time & what stands today is the renovation done by archaeological department through the project of "Cultural Triangle".

&silver. The relies of the Buddha are said to have been enshrined in a figure of a bull, made out of thick gold.Archeological department has restore the stupa the stupanow One of the finest guard stones yet diseovered was found at Ratnapraseda, Abhayagiriya and illustrates the degree of perfeetion reachod by the sculptors. The best example for a moonstone, a unique creation of Sri Lanka sculptors can be seen at the foot of the steps leading to the Mahasena's palaee.

King Mahasen (273-301 A.D) has the honour of being the creater of this huge stupa in which, a part of a sash tied by the Buddha is believed to be enshrined. It was originally over 400 feet (120 meters) in height and was the 3rd largest structure in the world after 2 "great pyramids of giza" in Egypt. Approximately 93, 300, 000 baked bricks were used to build the stupa and as a brick monument, this remains as the largest in the world even today. The stupa has 6m deep foundation and sits on bedrock. The deorpost to the shrine which is situated in the courtyard is 27 feet (8.2 m) high. Stone inscriptions in the courtyard give the names of people who donated to the building effort. The compound covers approximately 8 acres (5.6 hectares) and once housed over 3000 buddhist monks. It is believed that this monument was built upon the enclosure where Arahat Mahinda Thero was cremated. Reunt excavations in the stupa has unearthed a 1 meter thick brick wall adjacent to a layer of ash and charcoal is believed to be the chamber where the remains of the great monk rest. Today it stands at 321 feet (71 meters) a reduction from the original height, after renovating by king Parakramabahu the great in 12th contury A.D.

Isurumuniya Vihara was built by king Devanampiyatissa in 3rd century B.C, was originally known as Meghagiri Vihara in the ancient periods. After 500 children of high caste were ordained, Isurumuniya was established for them to reside. King Kasyapa (473 – 491 A.D) has renovated this temple and named as "Bo – Upulvan, Kasubgiri Radmaha Vehera" as the names of his 2 daughters were "Bodhi" and "Uppalavanna". The viharaya it self is built on a rock and the sacred tooth relic of Buddha has been originally kept here when it arrived to the island from India in 321 A.D. A small stupa is built on a rock cave and along is a cliff. It can be seen that the construetional work of this stupa belong to the present period, but there are some caves which probably were used in the ancient time. Isurumuniya temple is known best for it's rock carvings and the most popular being "The Lovers". The style of the sculpture resembles the "Gupta Art" of India , in 6th century.

Isurumuniya Lovers: The woman, seated on the man's lap, lifts a warning finger, probably as a manifestation of her coyness; but the man carries on regardless. Figures show the unbelievatle talent of the sculptor.

Man with the horse – At the entrance to the temple is a large pond. A long the pond, there's a carving of bathing elephants and on the top level of stairs there is another carving of a man seated in a "Royal Pose" and a head of a horse. This is thought to be carving of "Agni" (Fire) and "Parjanya" (god of rain). The elephant below represent the clouds. With this interpretation, it is believed that this place was used by the king to perform ceremonies for rain good.

"Dhyana Mudra". (The way of keepng hands) It is said that when you look at the face of the statue from 3 sides it gives 3 different features. Looking at the profile of the face. Looking from the front, the face shows neutral features.

"Lovamahapaya" was built by king Dutugemunu (161 – 137 B.C) described as an edifice of 9 storeys was a building of that class. The roof was covered with tiles made of bronze, therefore it was known as Brazen place. There are 40 rows of pillars and each row consisting of 40 stone pillars and a total of 1600 stone pillars were used.

Images of gal viharaya are the most impressive sculptures found at polonnaruwa, built by king parakramabahu the great in 12th century. All figures are made out of solid rock. The 1st sculpture is a seated Buddha image in a deep meditation on a throne, decorated with lions and thunderbolts. Behind the Buddha is a halo. The next sculpture is protected by an umbrella and Between the cave and the tall standing figure is a large rock inscription of king Parakramabahu-I which records in detail his struggle to unite the Buddhist order. The standing figure is 23 ft (7 meters ) in height with crossed arms. The carving of the serene face is extremely sensitive and the relaxed, elegant execution of the body and drapery distinguishes this figure as one of the masterpieces of Sri Lankan art. The immense figure of recumbent Buddha measures 46 ft (14 meters) is the last sculpture of the group. The Buddha is lying down at the final moment of his life entering 'parinibbana', the state of supreme enlightenment. Calm expressions of the face and the softness of the pillow which lies under Buddha's head are beautifully interpreted.

This is the great image house, ornament of Lanka with a Buddha statue and was created during the reign of king Parakramabahu the great (1153 – 1186 A.D.). It has walls which are 4 m thick and still stand 17 m (55 ft) high, although the roof has cruwbled. The design illustrates the development in thinking which underlay the massive Building as it was built to focus the attention of worshippers on the 13m (41 ft) high statue of Buddha at the end of the nave. The idea was probably to make people turn away from the abstract form of dagaba to a much more personalized faith in the Buddha in human form. The building is made out of bricks and covered in stucco. Today the head of the statue does not exist.

This is made out of solid rock and probably held a wooden roof. The building has been held by 48 stone pillars laid in tone pillars laid in 4 rows. The throne is a massive lion carved in stone. Throne of the king is carved at the Bottom of the lion figure. This building has a high importance to the historians as all the pillars are carved with the person's designation, who would sit there.

The temple is composed of 5 caves which were built at a base of a 150 m high rock and the king Valagamba is thought to have converted the caves into shrine rooms in the 1st century B.C.

Later other kings made further improvements including king Nissanka Malla who had the temple interior glided, earning it the name Ran Giri – Golden Rock. The caves were restored during the 18th century and painted by the Kandian kings.

These shrine rooms contains 153 Buddha statues, 3 images of kings and 4 images of gods & goddesses. Buddha statues are in varying sizes & attitudes while the largest is 15 m long.

The ceilings are covered with paintings and one cave has over 1500 paintings. The Dambulla cave monastery is still functional and remains as the best preserved ancient edifice of Sri Lanka. It was within this complex that the monks began the militant nationalist movement against the British rule in 1848. The first cave is called "Devarajalena" or "Cave of the Divine King" and is dominated by the 14 meter statue of the Buddha, hewn out the rock. It has been repainted countless times in it's history and probably it received the last coat of paint in the 20th century. An account of the founding of the monastery is recorded in the 1 st century Brahmi inscription over the entrance of this cave.

In the second and the largest cave there are 16 standing and 40 seated statues of Buddha. Also there are images of the god Saman and Vishnu and finally statue of king Valagamba who honored the monastery in the 1st century B.C. and king Nissanka Malla, responsible for the gliding of 50 statues in the 12 th century as indicated by a stone inscription near the monastery entrance. This cave is accordingly called "Maharajalena" or the "Cave of great kings ". The Buddha statue hewn out of the rock on the left side of the room is escorted by wooden figures of the Buddhisatvas, Maitriya (left) and Avalokiteshvara or Natha (right). There is also a dageba and a spring which drips its water out of a crack in the ceiling is said to have healing powers. Valuable tempera paintings on the cave ceiling, dating from the 18th century, depict scenes from Buddha's life.

The 3rd cave, the "Maha Aluth Vihara" or the "Great New Monastery", acquired ceiling and wall paintings in the typical Kandy style during the reign of king "Kirthi Sri Rajasingha" (1747 – 1782 A.D), and in addition to the 50 Buddha statues, there are also a statue of the king.

The 4th & 5th caves are smaller. They date from later period and are not of such high quality.

The vatadage ( Hale of the relic) is a circular building which 18 m in diameter with 4 entrances leading to a central dageba. Around dageba, 4 seated Buddha Statues which face the cardinal points, and in the centre of vatadage, concentric stone columns that once supported a conical roof, can be soon. There are impressive guard stones at the northern entrance and wing stones with makaras (a mythical beast) enclosing lion figures. The moon – stone at the second flight of steps is supurb. This well – planned, executed 12th ceutury masterpiece was attributed to king Nissanka Malla. (1187 – 1196 A.D)

Kutlam Pokuna is a pair of pools, used for bath in the ancient kingdom of Anuradhapura and are considered as one of the significant achievements in the field of hydrological engineering as well as the outstanding architectural and artistic creations of the ancient Sinhalese. The garden was landscaped which separates the two ponds is 18.5 feet long. Pools are not equal in size and the larger one is 132 feet by 51 feet while the smaller pool is gift by 51 feet. Depths of the two pools are 18 feet and 14 feet respectively.

The building material of the pools are cut granite slabs which includes the bottom and the sides of pools. Flights of steps seen on both ends of the pools, decorated with punkalasas (pot of abundance & scroll design).

Water to the pool was transferred through underground ducts where it was filtered before gushes out into the pools through a lions-head spout. Besides this spout is a Naga-Stone (stone carving of a cobra), perhaps the best in Sri Lanka. When restoring the ponds, figures of fish, a couch, a crab and a dancing women were found at the bottom. Water was emptied in a similar fashion mentioned above.

Galle fort was built first by the Portuguese, then modified by the Dutch during the 17th century. Even today, after 400 years of existence, it looks new and polished with reconstruction work done by Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka. Today Sri Lankan government and many Dutch people who still own some of the properties inside the fort are looking at making this one of the modern wonders of the world.

The Dutch fort also known as Ramparts of Galle wich stood the "Boxing Day" tsunami which destroyed the Galle town and remained undamaged. There are many Moor families who live inside this fort along with Sinhalese, Dutch, English, Portuguese and Germans. More details regarding the history of the fort can be found at the visitors centre and at the Dutch period museum inside the Fort.

Kandy is the English name for the city of Maha Nuvara (Senkadagalapura) in the centre of Sri Lanka. It lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka; it is both an administrative and religious city. It is the capital of the Central Province (which encompasses the districts of Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya) and also of Kandy District.

Yala National Park or Ruhuna National Park is the second largest and most visited national park in Sri Lanka. Yala is situated in the southeast region of the country, and lies in Southern Province and Uva Province. The park covers 979 sq.Km (378 sq. miles) and is about 300 kilometres (190 mi) from Colombo. It had originally been designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1900, and, along with Wilpattu it was one of the first two national parks in Sri Lanka, having been designated in 1938. The park is best known for its variety of its wild animals. It is important for the conservation of Sri Lankan Elephants and aquatic birds.

There are six national parks and three wildlife sanctuaries in the vicinity of Yala. The park is situated in the dry semi-arid climatic region and rain is received mainly during the northeast monsoon. The national park hosts a variety of ecosystems ranging from moist monsoon forests to freshwater and marine wetlands. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami caused severe damage on the Yala National park.

Yala is one of the 70 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Sri Lanka. Yala harbours 215 bird species including six endemic species of Sri Lanka. The number of mammals that has been recorded from the park is 44, and it has one of the highest leopard densities in the world. The area had been a centre of past civilisations. Two important pilgrim sites, Sithulpahuwa and Magul vihara, are situated within the park. The number of visitors has risen in 2009 since the security situation in the park improved.

Nuwara Eliya, meaning "city on the plain (table land)" or "city of lights", is a town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka with a picturesque landscape and temperate climate. It is located at an altitude of 1,868 m (6,128 ft) and is considered to be the most important location for tea production in Sri Lanka. The town is overlooked by Pidurutalagala, the tallest mountain in Sri Lanka.

Adam's Peak also Adam's Mount, Sinhalese Samanalakanda - "butterfly mountain", is a 2,243 metres (7,359 ft) tall conical mountain located in central Sri Lanka. It is well-known for the Sri Pada "sacred footprint", a 1.8 m rock formation near the summit, in Buddhist tradition held to be the footprint of the Budd.