tour details
With more than 50 Ramayana sites, Sri Lanka is well known as the location of the legendary war. In ancient India Ramayana was used in teaching, and the story is in educational use even today. Carrying cultural and religious significances, this legend is popular not only among the Hindu communities, but among the whole world in general. Comaparable to the Illiad in the western world, Ramayana is a story that is rich in beliefes, heroes, gods, karma, and the nature of the human fate.
Itinerary
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Day
PMJ representative will warmly welcome you at the Airport. Transfer to Chilaw. Visit Munneshwaram & Manavari Temples.
Dinner & Overnight Stay at Hotel in Negombo.
Attractions: Manawari Temple | Munneshwaram Temple
Breakfast at Hotel. Transfer to Sigiriya.
Dinner & Overnight Stay at Hotel in Sigiriya.
Sigiriya Rock Fortress :
In the rock garden area of Sigiriya there is the Cobra Hooded Cave. It is a rock-shelter surmounted by a boulder in the form of a cobra hood. It is one of the many spots believed to have been a palace of Sita's stay during her life in captivity in Lanka. An inscription mentioning a Naguliya Lena is said to be proof for it as Naguliya is identified with Sita as allegedly both names can have the same meaning "born from a furrow", because "Naguliya" could be derived from the words for snakes and for plough. But historians believe Naguliya to be the name of a local chieftain who donated the cave to the Buddhist order. In the Ramayana Trail legend, even the ancient rock fortress Sigiriya itself is sometimes claimed to have been a palace of Ravana, because historically it is connected to the cult of Kuwera. Kuwera was the step brother of Ravana who became his successor as King of Lanka.
Attractions: Sigiriya Rock Fortress | Dhambulla Cave Temple
Breakfast at the Hotel. Transfer to Tricomalee day Excursion.
Dinner & Overnight Stay at Hotel in Sigiriya.
Koneshwaram Temple :
400 feet above the sea, at the southern extremity of the peninsula that separates the inner from the outer Trincomalee harbour, lies a magnificent temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Referred to by European writers of the 18th and 19th centuries as the ‘Temple of a Thousand Pillars’, it is a site revered by Hindu pilgrims.
According to legend, a Hindu Prince sailed to Sri Lanka to erect a temple to Shiva on Swami Rock, after he learnt from the Puranas that it was a fragment of the holy Mount Meru. The temple became popularly known as Koneswaram Temple Trincomalee.
As it is one of the main harbours in which seafarers in the Bay of Bengal laid anchor, Trincomalee is believed to be a settlement of early Indo-Aryan migrants. The Pallava, Pandyan, and Chola dynasties are believed to have lavished the temple with wealth to maintain it in all its splendour.
Once one of the most frequented places of worship in the region, in 1622, the Portuguese General Constantine de Saa razed the temple to the ground and used its hallowed stones to build Fort Frederick, which still stands today. Since then, a temple was built within the fort walls and is highly venerated by Hindus and Buddhist pilgrims alike.
Attractions: Koneshwaram Temple | Hot Water Well
Breakfast at the Hotel. Transfer to Anuradhapura.
Dinner & Overnight Stay at Hotel in Anuradhapura.
Anuradhapura :
Anuradhapura is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central Province, Sri Lanka and the capital of Anuradhapura District. Anuradhapura is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of an ancient Sinhala civilization.
Breakfast at the Hotel. Transfer to Mannar day Excursion.
Dinner & Overnight Stay at Hotel in Anuradhapura.
Adam's Bridge :
The Indian Sanskrit epic Ramayana by Valmiki speaks of a bridge, Setubandhanam, a bridge over the ocean connecting India with Sri Lanka, the land of Ravana, the ruler of men and god. The epic attributes the building of the bridge to the ape army of Rama, who was assisting him in his war against Ravana to win back his wife, Sita.
Attractions: Rama Sethu Bridge
Breakfast at the Hotel & Transfer to Kandy
Dinner & Overnightstay at Hotel in Kandy
Arrive in Kandy and commence Kandy sightseeing including a visit to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya. Witness a Cultural Show with traditional Kandyan Dancing & Fire Walking
Attractions: Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic | Cultural Show | Kandy Lake | Gem Museum | Peradeniya garden
Breakfast at Hotel. Visit Ramayana Sites.
Dinner & Overnight Stay at Hotel in Nuwara Eliya.
Hanuman Temple :
The Sri Lanka branch of the Chinmaya mission, commited to promoting the Ramayana philosophy as well as Ramayana Trail pilgrimages, has built a temple withHanuman as a presiding deity in Ramboda by the Kandy to NuwaramEliya mainroad. There is a new five metres tall granite statue of Rama's devoted supporter. Hanuman is believed to have started his search for Sita in the Baroda hills. Hanuman traditionally was not as popular among Sri Lankan Tamil devotees as he indeed is in India, because he devastated parts of the island with his burning tail. But in recent times Hindu missionaries and local Tamil spiritual leaders began building shrines for worshipping Hanuman in Sri Lanka too. TheTamil word for Ramboda, Rampadai, Means "Rama's force", this is why Ramboda is believed to be the area where Rama collected his troops.
Attractions: Hanuman Temple | Seetha Amman Temple | Ashok Vatika
Breakfast at Hotel.Transfer to Katharagama. En-Route visit Ella Ramayana Sites
Dinner & Overnight stay at Hotel in Kathragama.
Ravana Ella :
The Ravana Ella Falls and the Rawana Ella Cave are located close to the Wellawaya main road in the famous valley called Ella gap, only about 6 kms away from the town of Ella well known for its splendid views of the Ella gap. The cascading waterfall measures about 25 metres. It is believed that Sita bathed in a pool that accumulated the water falling from this waterfall. The nearby Rawana Ella cave is quite small, only 50 metres long. As in the case of Ishthripura Cave in Welimada, legend has it that it was used by King Rawana to hide princess Sita. It is believed to belong to a network of tunnels also connecting it to the Dova temple and to all the palaces and airports and dairy farms of King Ravana. Archaeological findings in the Rawana Cave include a human skull dating back to 20,000 BC
Ravana Cave :
These tunnels prove beyond doubt the architectural brilliance of King Ravana. These tunnels served as a quick means of transport through the hills and also as a secret passage. These tunnels networked all the important cities, airport and dairy farms. A close look at these tunnels indicates that they are where a palace and a tunnel existed. Existing tunnels mouths are situated in Ishtripura at Welimada, Ravana cave at Bandarawela, Senapitiya at Halagala, Ramboda, Labookellie, Wariyapola, Matale and Sitakotuwa Hasalaka. In addition there are many more tunnels.
Attractions: Kataragama Temple | Ravana Cave | Ravana Water Fall
Breakfast at Hotel. Kataragama sightseeing.
Dinner & Overnight stay at Hotel in Kathragama.
Kataragama is the name of the God and his hometown as well. Kataragama is the Sinhalese form of Skanda, also known as Subhramaniya. He usually is called Murugan or Karthikeya by Tamils. His local consort Valli and his Indian consort Teyvanai (Devasena) and his brother Ganesha are worshipped in their respective own shrines in the holy city of Kataragama, too. Sinhalese worship Skanda-Kataragama as one of their four or five national Gods, especially as protector of the island's south. For Buddhists, Kataragama is a place additionally sanctified by a visit of the Buddha. Even WeddaTribals and Muslim Sufis regard Kataragama as a prominent place of worshipping God. Kataragamadeiyo furthermore is linked to the Ramayana Trail legend. Lord Indra is said to have given him orders to join the battle at the last day of the war to protect Lord Rama from the powerful wrath of Lanka's demon king Ravana.
Kirinda Beach :
According to the Sinhalese tradition, the temple of the Kirinda marks the place where Princes Viharamaha Devi landed after her father, the king of Kelaniya, set her adrift on a golden vessel. Later on she became the consort of Sri Lanka's most famous King Dutugemunu. The Ramayana Trail legend tells that Seetha was kept captive here for nearly one year. Ravana administrative capital was Ravana Kotte. This is identified as the Basses reefs Southeast of Kirinda. Though the palace is sunk in the sea, some parts of it are said to be seen sometimes during low tides
Ussangoda :
Ussangoda is a strange coastal area because of its lack of trees. Its serpentine rock contains heavy toxic metals. Only specific smaller plants were able to adapt to this soil. But according to the Ramayana legend, there are two more explanations for the baldness of Ussangoda. After meeting Sitadevi, Lord Hanuman provoked the mighty King Ravana and his army of Rakshasas. It resulted in Lord Hanuman's tail being set on fire by Rakshasas. Hanuman in turn went on to torch parts of King Ravana's empire with his burning tail. Ussangoda is said to be one of these burnt areas. Besides the Ramyana Trail legend has it that earlier on the Ussangoda plateau was used an airport by King Ravana for his Dandu Monara (peacock chariot helicoptor), before Hanuman devastated the landing site.
Attractions: Kirinda Beach | Ussangoda
Breakfast at the Hotel. Transfer to Bentota. En-route visit Roomassala & Galle Fort
Dinner & Overnight stay at Hotel in Bentota.
Seenigama :
Seenigama is a small village on the south-west coast close to Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka's most popular beach resort for coral reef snorkeling. The Seenigama temple is situated on a very small island. This Devale is dedicated to the local God Devol Deviyo, who protects fishermen and their boats. The Ramayana trail legend has it that Seenigama was the landing place from where Sugriva, King of the Varanas and their monkey army, launched his onslaught on Ravana's demon army
Roomassala :
Rumassala hill 3 kms east of Galle is the landmark of Unuwatuna beach because of the picturesque white Buddhist dagoba on top of it. Rumassala rock is one of the five Sri Lankan spots believed to originate from parts of Mount Dronagiri. They fell down when Hanuman carried the Dronagiri on his flight back to Lanka in order to use its Sanjiwani herb to rescue Lakhshmana and Rama who were in need of this medical plant to be reanimated after suffering severe injuries. Rumassala is also said to be an abode of Sita during her stay in Lanka.
Attractions: Seenigama | Roomasasala
After b/fast , visit Panchamuga Anjaneyer Hanuman Temple( only one in Sri Lanka ) kalaniya Vibeeshana Temple & Ancient historical Buddha Temple (Buddha Visited place ) Colombo Sightseeing tour , Transfer to the Airport according the flight scheduled.
Route
Inclusions
03 star Accommodation on Half Board Basis
Transport in A/C vehicle + services of an English speaking chauffeur/ guide
Sightseeing as per the itinerary
All Taxes
Exclusions
All entrance ticket fees for sites & places of interest
Lunch
Cost of extra meals
Visa fee if needs
Miscellaneous
Expenses of personal nature such as beverages, laundry, telephone, fax, email & internet charges
Personal gratuities or tips
Please refer to our Cancellation Policy and to cancel a tour please fill and send Cancellation Request Form to info@pickmyjourneys.com.