Bambarakanda Waterfalls (highest) of Sri Lanka

Bambarakanda waterfall is highest waterfall of Sri Lanka and which is situated at Haldumulla Electorate of Badulla district. The waterfall is high about 241meters. The water fall down with high rock and knock other rocks increase the beauty of this fall. Water comes to this fall from Horton plains and after this water goes to Samanala wawa means the valley looks like a butterfly. After via Valawe river this water goes to sea.

Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya

Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya is located approximately six miles from Colombo. It is constructed on an area of around ten acres. The Kelani Viharaya is just besides the Kelani River. The location on which this Viharaya stands derived its sanctity in the Buddhist era 2531. Kaleniya Viharaya received its recognition and became a place of Buddhist worship after venerable Mahinda brought the Dhamma to this country. According to the Mahawansa, the great chronicle of Sri Lanka, King Devanampiyatissa's brother, Uttiya renovated the Viharaya for the first time. He is also said to have constructed the first Quaters of the Monks there. The Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara is one of the most sacred worshipping places of the Buddhists of Sri Lanka since the great Lord Buddha set foot on this specific location. Kelani Raja Maha Viharaya is one of the largest and one of the most attractive temples of Sri Lanka..

Bakers Waterfalls of Sri Lanka

Baker's waterfall is one of the very beautiful waterfalls in Sri Lanka. This waterfall is height about 22 meters. Bakers Falls is situated at Horton Plains of Sri Lanka. On the way to Worlds End gap via Horton plans easy to access to the waterfall. The falls is at closed to the border of Badulla, Nuwaraeliya and Rathnpura districts and really in Nuwaraeliya district. Nuwaraeliya, Nanuoya, Bandarawela, Badulla, Welimada areas are the closing towns to this waterfall. There are two main roads to access this waterfall. Those are Nuwaraeliya Entrance and Bandarawela Entrance. This falls can be access from Nuwaraeliya entrance via Welimada, Nuwaraeliya and Ambewela Pattipola areas. About  35km far away from Nuwraeliya to Pattipola and 4Km s to walk into the falls. And Bakers Waterfalls of Sri Lanka also about 40Km from Bandarawela or 30Km from Haputale via Boralanda and Ohiya. In otherwise there is a special secret way to access Horton plains and the falls via Kalupahana, (Between Colombo - Badulla road / A5), Bambarakanda falls, Udaweriya State, Ohiya Upper Estate and Horton Plains

Galle Fort in Sri Lanka

 Galle Fort, in the Bay of Galle on the south east coast of Sri Lanka, was built first in 1588 by the Portuguese, and then extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century from 1649 onwards. It is a historical, archaeological and architectural heritage monument, which even after more than 423 years maintains a polished appearance, due to extensive reconstruction work done by Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka.

The fort has a colourful history, and today has a multi-ethnic and multi-religious population. The 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 heritage value of the fort has been recognized by the UNESCO and the site has been inscribed as a cultural heritage UNESCO World Heritage Site under criteria iv, for its unique exposition of "an urban ensemble which illustrates the interaction of European architecture and South Asian traditions from the 16th to the 19th centuries."

 

The Galle Fort, also known as the Dutch Fort or the "Ramparts of Galle", withstood the Boxing Day tsunami which damaged part of coastal area Galle town. It has been since restored. The Galle Fort also houses the elite Amangalla resort hotel, located near the Dutch Reformed Church. It was originally built in 1684 to house the Dutch Governor and his staff. It was then converted into a hotel and named then as the New Oriental Hotel in 1865, which catered to the European passengers traveling between Europe and Galle Port in the 19th century

Horton plains of Sri Lanka

The most famous place of foreigners in Sri Lanka is Horton plains. Horton plains are at Nuwaraeliya, Badulla and Rathnapura districts. There are two main entrances to this plain. Those are Pattipola entrance via Nuwaraeliya and Ambewela or Ohiya entrance via Welimada or Bandarawela. Large Savannah plains, Waterfalls, High pure water, Forests and several natural and high eco diversity areas are available to visit at Horton Plains. Horton Plains is controlled by Wild life department of Sri Lanka. Hoton plains are invented by Mr. Horton who was animal hunter in British governing period. Earlier this place is identified as ‘Maha Eliya’. Eliya means Plains and Maha means Big. In this case real meaning of this name is a Large Plain. This area is high more than 2300 m above from sea level.

Visitors can’t access every area of the Plain. Visitors haven't permission to travel every place of Horton plains because some damages to endemic plants, some burns the grass grounds, some troubles to animals or some gets liquor on the plain. These items are prohibited at Horton Plains.

A lot of rivers of Sri Lanka are started from Horton plains. Water of this place is very cold and very pure. Everyday we can see many foreigners come to this place and search animals. Leopard is endemic to this place but search the leopard is very difficult task. Number of endemic flora and fauna are available in this plain. Walikukula (Jungle fowl), Horn lizard are most popular endemic fauna in this area.

Horton plains surrounded most popular and important mountains. They are Kirigalpottha Mountain (2nd in Sri Lanka) and Totupola Mountain (3rd In Sri Lanka). Accessing those in at this area is easier. About 10.5 Km needs to travel to the top of the Kirigalpottha Mountain. Totopula Mountain accessing way is at Pattipola entrance. Baker’s waterfall is popular waterfall which is at Horton Plains. Worlds End which is highest mist gap of Sri Lanka is also at this place.

Bellanwila Raja Maha Viharaya

Situated in the outskirts of the city of Colombo, in the village of Bellanwila, just three kilometers from the city limits, Bellanwila temple has a long and hallowed history. The great sanctity attached to the temple is due to its sacred Bodhi-tree. There is authorative literary evidence in ancient texts such as the Sinhala Bodhivamsaya which records that this Bodhi-tree is one of the thirty two saplings that sprang from the sacred Bodhi-tree at Anuradhapura planted in the 3rd century B.C.E.The recorded tradition is as follows: There were five twigs in the Bodhi-sapling that was brought from India to Sri Lanka and planted in the Mahameghavana at Anuradhapura. When the sapling had grown into a tree, eight new saplings sprang from its eastern side. These are called the astaphalaruka-Bodhi-trees and they were planted at eight different spots on the Island. From the other four original branches sprang thirty-two additional saplings which were also distributed throughout the Island. One such plant is the sacred Bodhi-tree at Bellanwila.

The reason why this particular spot at Bellanwila was selected is not clear. Scholars have forwarded various hypotheses. But what appears plausible is that even at such early times this particular spot had been recognized as a hallowed site and further, that there may have already been a well established shrine here with resident holy monks.The state of the shrine after the planting of the Bodhi-sapling is shrouded in the mists of history. Neither literary nor archaeological evidence is available to reconstruct its history. 

 Bellanwila was far away from the then capital of the Island and as it had no significant role in the history of the Island, it did not find any mention in the chronicles or other historical documents. In the 15th century, Bellanwila again is mentioned in literary works. This is when Kotte, which is in close proximity to Bellanwila, became the capital. In the Kotte period Buddhism rose to great heights with the royal patronage of King Parakramabahu VI (1412-1467). But even during this period, Bellanwila is cast in the shadow of Sunthradevi Pirivena, a shrine built by the king himself.The subjugation of the maritime provinces by the Portuguese in the latter part of the 17th century and consequent loss of royal patronage, dealt a severe blow to Buddhism. As a result many places of worship were neglected. Bellanwila seems to have fallen on especially hard times, was abandoned and covered by a dense thicket.

Jethawanaramaya tupa

The Jethawana stupa, the central ritual monument of the Jethawana monastery, had a diameter of 370 feet. Established in the 3rd century A.D., the monastery was the residence of 3,000 monks. Recent excavations confirm that the foundation of the stupa was 28 feet deep and rested on bedrock. This stupa, the tallest brick structure in the world, was built in keeping with engineering principles which are fol­lowed even today. At the time of the collapse of the Roman Empire, and counting this phase to be the end of the ancient world, this edifice was only sec­ond to two other taller structures - Pyramids 1 and 2 in Egypt, the taller of which was 483 feet. The Jethawena stupa is the tallest brick structure in the world.