The caves at first came into use as a refuge for King Valagambahu in 1st century BC. Concealed by the local monks, upon returning from exile to his throne at Anuradhapura, he had the magnificent cave temple built for them. The cave temple consists of a complex of Buddhist image houses. Its rock ceiling is one large sweep of colorful frescoes, some of which dates back to over 2,000 years, which depicts Buddhist mythology, and the tales of the Buddha’s previous births. This cave temple has the largest number of Buddha statues all housed in one place, including a 14 meter long, colossal figure of the recumbent Buddha carved out of the rock.
During the migration season in December and April, large pods of Dolphins and Blue Whales can be seen just a few miles offshore from Mirissa. Mirissa Water Sports, based in the Mirissa Harbour offers boat excursions which can take upto three hours. Mirissa Water Sports offers exciting watersports activities such as sailing, fishing, coastal cruises, […]
Colombo is a throwback. It has smartened up considerably since the end of the conflict, but there is still only a limited sense of the dash for development that characterizes most capital cities in south-east Asia and the result is a compact city retaining an atmosphere all of its own.It is now a mixture of […]
Sri Lanka’s royal medieval capital for nearly a century from 1073, Polonnaruwa had been a military base for invading Chola tribes, from southern India, until they were overthrown by the Sinhalese king, Vijayabahu I in 1070. The next king, Parakramabahu I, was the main driving force behind the development of Polonnuruwa. It remained Sri Lanka’s […]
Arugam Bay is Sri Lanka at its most escapist. The relatively isolated beaches and a simple, laid-back lifestyle, away from the main tourist haunts, have many devotees. The local community is a particularly chilled-out and welcoming one where travellers and locals mingle contentedly. Arugam Bay offers high-class surfing (the best on the island) and deserted […]
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