Anuradhapura

After breakfast, leave for Anuradhapura Ancient for the city tour. You will be visiting dozens of temples, stupas, and many other places popular among Buddhist pilgrims. Later, proceed to Mihintale. 

Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura, with the recent excavations, the history goes back to the 8th C.BC. Or 2800 BP. However, legends take history more than 3000-5000 years. (Ramayana is one of them.) At that time, there were 4 tribes living in Sri Lanka. Kingdom lasted one thousand and five hundred years from 380 BC. This city is home to many of the earliest grandest monuments of Sri Lanka. A popular destination for Sinhalese Buddhist pilgrimages because of its many ancient Buddhist monuments. 

Anuradhapura was made the royal capital by King Pandukabhaya in 380 BC. It remained the residence and royal capital for 119 successive Singhalese kings till the year 1000 AD, when it was abandoned and the capital moved to Polonnaruwa. You will see some of the most famous, as well as the tallest dagoba of Sri Lanka, remains from palaces, temples, monasteries, ceremonial baths, and the temple of the holy Bo tree. This tree was grown from a sampling of the very tree under which more than 2500 years ago the Buddha found enlightenment. 

You will visit all these places on our hop-on, hop-off Anuradhapura City Tour.

• Ruwanwelisaya: It is a “stupa” that was built by King Dutugamunu and is one of the biggest completed ones to date.
• Thuparamaya: It is the oldest ‘dagoba’ in Sri Lanka and possibly the oldest visible one in the world.
• Lovamahapaya: The significance of this building is that the roof was once covered in bronze tiles.
• Abhayagiri: It is one of the biggest viharas in Anuradhapura. It was a monastery of 5000 monks.
• Jethavanaramaya: It is a sacred world heritage site and accommodated some 3000 monks at the time. It is also quite similar to Abhayagiri.
• Mirisavetiya: This stupa was built by King Dutugamunu after defeating King Elara.
• Lankaramaya: This is also built by a king called King Valagamba in the Anuradhapura Kingdom times and is one of the eight sacred places in the city.

Included Activities
Visiting Jaya Sri Maha Bodhiya, Ruwanwelisaya, Thuparamaya, Abhayagiri Dagaba, Jetavanarama, Mirisaveti Stupa, Lankarama, and Lovamahapaya.
Accommodation
Hotel in Anuradhapura

Anuradhapura / Trincomalee

After breakfast, leave for Grihandu Seya and Trincomalee; en route, visit Polonnaruwa. Check into the Ananthamaaa beach resort and rest. In the afternoon, visit Seruwila Rajamahaviha and Trincomalee sightseeing tours. 

Later, early afternoon, visit Polonnaruwa historical city. The Polonnaruwa city tour lasts around 2 hours.

Polonnaruwa
Polonnaruwa is the second-most historical city in Sri Lanka. It was made the capital of Sri Lanka after Anuradhapura. The second most ancient of Sri Lanka's kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 to reunite the country once more under a local leader.

Today the ancient city of Polonnaruwa remains one of the best-planned archaeological relic sites in the country, standing testimony to the discipline and greatness of the Kingdom's first rulers. Its beauty was also used as a backdrop to film scenes for the Duran Duran music video Save a Prayer in 1982. The ancient city of Polonnaruwa has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The city tour includes palaces, dagobas, and temples and provides a good example of Sri Lankan historical craftsmanship. In this 3-hour guided tour of the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, you will cover some of the following attractions:.

• Royal Palace (Palace of King Parakramabahu, the most prolific and gifted builder of the era)
• Nissankamulla Palace (royal audience hall with impressive stonework)
• Gal Viharaya (Contains some of the best rock sculptures in the country)
• Thuparama & Lankathilaka Image Houses (good examples of vaulted shrine rooms)
• Vatadage (gives an idea of what a complete Vatadage may have looked like)
• Rankoth Vehera (largest stupa in Polonnaruwa)
• Parakramabahu Statue (Statue of one of the greatest kings of ancient Sri Lanka)

Girihandu Seya Temple (Stupa)
Girihandu Seya (also known as Nithupathpana Vihara [note 1]) is an ancient Buddhist temple situated in Thiriyai, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. The temple is supposed to be the first Buddhist stupa in Sri Lanka, believed to be constructed by two seafaring merchants, Trapusa and Bahalika. The names of the two merchants are recorded in a rock inscription found on the Vihara premises. According to the inscription, Girihandu Seya was built by the guilds of merchants named Trapassuka and Vallika, where the names are written as Tapassu and Bhalluka in later Sinhala chronicles. Some scholars also hold the view that Mahayana-influenced seafaring merchants from the Pallava Kingdom were responsible for the construction of this temple.

Seruwila Raja maha vihara (temple)
Seruwawila Mangala Raja Maha Vihara is an ancient Buddhist temple in the Trincomalee district in Eastern Province, which is among the sixteen holiest Buddhist shrines (Solosmasthana) in Sri Lanka.

It was built during the reign of King Kavan Tissa, Prince of Ruhuna (2nd century BC), containing the Lalata Dathun Wahanse (sacred forehead bone) of Buddha. It can be reached by land and sea. The sea route begins at Trincomalee to Muttur by boat and another 16 km by road, and the land route is via Kantale to Allai, which is approximately 45 km through dense forest.

Activite planned for today
Visiting Grihandu Seya,  Visiting Seruwila Rajamahaviha
Accommodation 
Hotel in Trincomalee

Kandy

Leave for the Kandy sightseeing tour after breakfast and visit the tooth relic temple, Natha Devala and Buddhist Museum. Afternoon: You will do the city tour of Kandy, including a visit to the temple of the sacred tooth relic and a Kandyan cultural show.

Kandy
Kandy City has been declared by UNESCO as a Living World Heritage Site. The last capital of the Sinhala kings, Kandy, is remarkable for the natural beauty of its setting in peaceful natural surroundings with an artificial lake. A British governor has said that Kandy was the most beautiful city in the most beautiful country in the world. The palace building shrines and the British period buildings give it a special character, while the religious importance of the Tooth Relic and the annual procession, or Dalada Perehere, contribute dynamism and unique cultural importance to the historic hill capital.

Tooth relic temple
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic or Sri Dalada Maligawa is a Buddhist temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha. Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. The relic was historically held by Sinhalese kings. The temple of the tooth is a World Heritage Site mainly due to the temple and the relic.

Stop At: Kandy Lake
You will also do an upper lake drive and visit the market square, gem lapidary and more.

Included Activities
Visit the Kandyan cultural show, the Tooth Relic Temple, and the Kandy City Tour.
Accommodation 
Hotel in Kandy

Kandy / Kataragama

After breakfast, leave for the hotel in Kataragama. En route, visit Sita temple and Kataragama temple. Evening a visit to the Kataragama temple, which is the most popular temple in southern Sri Lanka. In the afternoon wildlife tour of Yala National Park.

Seetha Amman Temple
Seetha Amman Temple is located approximately 1 kilometer (0.62 mi) from Hakgala Botanical Garden and 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) from Nuwara Eliya. The temple is located in the village of Seetha Eliya (also known as Sita Eliya). This place is believed to be the site where Sita was held captive by Asur Samrat (Devil King) Ravana and where she prayed daily for Rama to come and rescue her in the Hindu epic, Ramayana. On the rock face across the stream are circular depressions said to be the footprints of Lord Hanuman.

Kataragama temple
Kataragama Temple, Sri Lanka, is a temple complex dedicated to the Buddhist guardian deity Kataragama devil and Hindu War God Murugan. It is one of the few religious sites in Sri Lanka that is venerated by the Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and the Vedda people. For most of the past millennia, it was a jungle shrine very difficult to access; today it is accessible by an all-weather road. The shrines and the nearby Kiri Vehera are managed by Buddhists, the shrines dedicated to Teyvāṉai and Shiva are managed by Hindus, and the mosque by Muslims.

Yatalatissa temple
Yatala Vehera (also spelled Yatala Wehera) is an ancient Buddhist stupa dating back to the 3rd century B.C., located in Deberawewa-TThissamaharama in Hambantota District of Sri Lanka. The stupa is built on a stage made of large flat granite stones and has a surrounding wall of sculpted elephant heads, a moat and a large moonstone. It is believed that the stupa was built 2300 years ago by regional king Yatala Thissa of Ruhuna to commemorate the place where he was born. However, some believe that the stupa was built by regional king Mahanaga, father of Yatala Thissa, to mark the birth of his son.

Yala National Park
Yala is considered to be one of the oldest national parks in Sri Lanka; at the same time, it is the biggest national park in Sri Lanka with 97880 hectares of extent. Initially, it was used as a hunting ground during British rule in Sri Lanka. It is said people had to pay for hunting in Yala. As the number of animals drastically reduced due to hunting, Yala is declared a national park in 1900 and became a safe place for animals. Yala is the biggest national park and is divided into 5 zones. Yala is holding a prominent place as far as biodiversity is concerned. Yala is a famous high density of wildlife such as leopards, elephants, deer, wild boar, bears, monkeys, etc.

Included Activities
Seetha Amman temple, Visiting Kataragama temple, Visiting Yatalatissa temple, Yala national park safari
Accommodation
Hotel in Tissamaharama

Colombo / Bandaranayke Airport

Breakfast at the hotel and leave for a sightseeing tour of Colombo and visit Gangarama Temple, Kelaniya Temple and other important sites.

Colombo
Colombo had been a well-known city in the region among the Arabian, Chinese, Indian, Persian, and Roman traders as early as the pre-Christian era. Sri Lanka is located on the East-West Sea route and is visited by traders in order to exchange their goods with the local traders. Even though Colombo was a well-known city among the ancient traders 2,000 years ago, the capital city of the country had been Anuradhapura. There was an Arabian settlement in the city of Colombo at the mouth of the Kelani River. Arab traders were exporting goods from the port of Colombo. Goods such as cinnamon, ivory, gems, and elephants were exported by the king of Kotte with the help of Arabs. With the beginning of the British colonial period, Colombo city received a prominent place as the capital of Ceylon. Colombo was the capital of the island from 1815 to 1978 until the administrative capital was moved to Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte.

Galle face
This had been a well-known racecourse during the British colonial period in the country. This racecourse, which is located bordering the Indian Ocean, had to be abandoned later on due to the sea crabs, which are making holes in the track. Afterwards, it was developed as a promenade for the city dwellers and named Galle to face Green. Today Galle Face Green contains an open theater and spacious open space for picnics, sports, and walking.

Gangarama temple
It is considered to be one of the most sacred places in the country. Temple is one of the three places that Buddha visited in the 6th century B.C. The well-known Kelaniya Dagoba is located within the border of the temple. Kalyani River, which flows next to the temple, adds more value to the scenic beauty of the temple. This temple holds a reputation for its attractive wall, which is considered to be the best painting of the Modern Era.

Kelaniya temple
Buddhists believe the temple to have been hallowed during the third and final visit of the Buddha to Sri Lanka, eight years after gaining enlightenment.[3] Its history would thus go back to before 500 BCE. The Mahayana records that the original stupa at Kelaniya enshrined a gem-studded throne on which the Buddha sat and preached. The temple flourished during the Kotte era, but much of its land was confiscated during the Portuguese empire. Under the Dutch empire, however, there were new gifts of land, and under the patronage of King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha, the temple was rebuilt. It was refurbished in the first half of the 20th century with the help of Helena Wijewardene.

The Kelaniya Stupa enshrined a gem-studded throne on which the Buddha sat and preached. Buddha's second visit to Nagadeepaya, Sri Lanka, was in the fifth year of enlightenment to settle a dispute between two Naga kings, Chulodara and Mahodara, over the possession of a gem-studded throne. After having listened to the Dhamma sermons by Buddha, the Naga kings paid homage to Buddha with overwhelming faith, and the throne was offered to Buddha by two Naga kings.

Viharamahadevi park
Viharamahadevi is located in Colombo 7, or Cinnamon Gardens. It is the largest and most popular park in the city. It is believed that there had been a twenty-square-kilometer cinnamon plantation in the area. Today most of the palaces of wealthy people can be seen in the area, and Colombo 7 is the most picturesque part of the city.

Wolvemndaal church
The Wolvendaal Church is located in Fort and within walking distance from the center of the city. It has a large collection of tombstones of important Dutch personalities. Fort is made at the highest point of the city and dates back to 1813. The church is built in the doric style of the period. In the form of a Greek cross, with five-foot-thick walls and the gables raised over. The transepts are roofed with brick barrel arches and a central dome.

Aukana Buddha, Tndepoendence Memorial Hall, BMICH
Facing the Bandaranayke Memorial International Conference Hall stands a beautifully executed statue of the Buddha in a standing posture. The statue is 36 feet tall and is the largest Buddha statue in the city of Colombo. It is a replica of the Avukana statue on the banks of the Kalawewa Anuradhapura.

Activities planned for today
Colombo city tour with Gangarama temple and Kelaniya temple
Accommodation
No accommodation for today.

End of the tour