Jaffna & the North
The quietly charming Madukanda Vihara is a Rs 250 three-wheeler ride from central Vavuniya, beyond the 3km post southeast on the A29. It was reputedly the…
Must-see attractions in Sri Lanka
Anuradhapura
This mula, or college, housed the bulk of Anuradhapura's many foreign monks and it was probably here that Chinese pilgrim Fa Xian spent two years studying…
Colombo
Really a large memorial building to Sri Lanka’s 1948 independence from Britain, this huge stone edifice is loosely based on Kandy’s Audience Hall. It's…
Colombo
A perfect example of how quickly Colombo is changing: what was an industrial canal has been reborn as a waterfront district with simple cafes, food…
Jaffna & the North
Built in 1820, this large colonnaded church is dishevelled, but the faithful have strung colourful garlands from the soaring rafters. Immediately west,…
Polonnaruwa
King Parakramabahu I planned this 12th-century stupa to be the world's largest Buddhist monument, but even with the enforced assistance of Tamil prisoners…
Hikkaduwa & Around
Right on the coast north of Hikkaduwa is this statue of a standing Buddha facing the waves with his hands in the abhaya mudra (Buddha pose conveying…
Anuradhapura
To the southwest of the Abhayagiri Dagoba this small site has a 19m-long stone batnava (or rice canoe) that would have been filled daily with cooked rice…
The East
Off the A4 between the 308km and 309km posts is Kotawehera, the ruined remains of an ancient brick stupa, which enjoys a magnificent situation upon a…
Colombo
As compact as a fresh haggis, this 1834 granite church is an island of calm back from Galle Rd. Inside the cool interior, the walls are lined with fulsome…
Colombo
The venerable Grand Oriental Hotel has an iconic statue on the small traffic circle in front of its entry that defies political correctness. A wiry local…
Sri Muthumariamman Thevasthanam
The Ancient Cities
Just north of the bus stand for Kandy (at the north end of town) is this interesting South Indian–style Hindu temple. A couple of garages to the side…
Galle
Occupying the northeast corner of the ramparts, with magnificent vistas over Galle harbour and cricket ground, this large fortification was first…
Maviddapuram Kanthaswamy Kovil
Jaffna & the North
Maviddapuram Kanthaswamy Kovil is now flourishing again after the war. The priests here are very friendly and will probably do a puja for you if you like …
The Hill Country
Around 27km north of Nuwara Eliya, tours of this factory are fairly informative, explaining cultivation, types of tea and the drying and packing processes…
The Hill Country
The main objects of veneration here are statues of the gods Kataragama, Saman and Vishnu. Uniquely, the devale was constructed in Kandyan style rather…
Colombo
Reached along the arcade on the north side of the Grand Oriental Hotel, this converted Dutch governor’s banquet hall was first used as a church in 1821…
Sigiriya
Hire a bike and head out to this little-visited ruined monastery. Trails take you past a stupa, the standing monolithic stones of a prayer hall, several…
Jaffna & the North
Set amid a marsh, a huge gold-coloured torso of a soldier juts up from the ground. It's bombastic to say the least; nearby a small building houses map…
Jaffna & the North
The beach at Mullaittivu is long, white and beautiful. It's undeveloped, although there is some construction in the town, as stores are being built. There…
Colombo
Some of the best contemporary Sri Lankan artists are displayed in this whitewashed compound. Look for the huge elephant sculpture, created from old…
Galle
Nestled in the old walls, this small museum is worth a quick look for its skeleton of a Bryde's whale and a very useful model that explains how tsunamis…
Polonnaruwa
In the northeast corner of the Quadrangle stands the unusual ziggurat-style Satmahal Prasada, which consists of six diminishing storeys (there used to be…
Galle
This museum is housed in what's thought to be the oldest Dutch building in Galle, dating back to 1686. Displays are somewhat dusty and dated but include…
Anuradhapura
Beyond the main Abhayagiri site are the scattered ruins of the western monasteries, set up by ascetic monks. With a bike you can track down some of these…
Jaffna & the North
Occupies a prominent spot with sweeping views at the east end of the spectacular VVT–Point Pedro Coast Rd. Although the lighthouse is fenced off and…
Anuradhapura
Nuwara Wewa, on the east side of the city, is the largest tank in Anuradhapura, covering about 12 sq km. It was built around 20 BC and is well away from…
The Hill Country
The impressive Kiruwananaganga Falls, some of the largest in Sri Lanka (60m high in stages and up to 60m wide during the height of the rainy season), are…
Jaffna
Built by the Dutch along classical lines in the 1790s, St Mary’s Cathedral is astonishingly large, but it’s curious to see corrugated-iron roofing held up…
Jaffna & the North
This single-lane concrete veteran still bears war scars. When the fish are running, the sides are lined with people casting nets; it's one of the few…
The Ancient Cities
At an even higher elevation (309m) than the Mahaseya Dagoba is the little-visited and modest Et Vihara (literally, ‘Elephant Monastery’) stupa, which…
Tangalla & Around
The shady Rest House was once home to the Dutch administrators. It’s one of the oldest rest houses in the country, and was originally built (as a plate on…
Galle
The eastern section of Galle's wall ends at the Point Utrecht Bastion, close to the powder magazine, which bears a Dutch inscription from 1782. Today this…
Colombo
The restored clock tower at the junction of Chatham St and Janadhipathi Mawatha (once Queen St) was originally a lighthouse that was built in 1857. It's…
Kandy
The 14th-century Natha Devale is the oldest of Kandy's devales. It perches on a stone terrace with a fine vahalkada (solid panel of sculpture) gateway…
Colombo
If you can dodge the teeming mass of load-carrying labourers for a moment, it pays to look up as you explore Pettah. Case in point is this old potato…
Jaffna & the North
This photogenic Murugan (Skanda) temple has a very ornate, if faded, gopuram (gateway tower) and a gold-clad image in its sanctum. Walk back through the…
Colombo
This enormous 1881 cathedral lies in the Catholic heart of the Kotahena district. The biggest church in Sri Lanka has an exterior inspired by St Peter's…
The East
This beachfront temple is 4km by road from Uppuveli, but only a short wade (or hop by boat if the tide is high) from the north end of Uppuveli beach. It’s…
Polonnaruwa
A track to the left from the northern stretch of road leads to unusual Nelum Pokuna (Lotus Pond), nearly 8m in diameter, which has five concentric,…
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