Heritage Tours in Sri Lanka | A Few Of The Must-Visit Historical Places In Sri Lanka

October 31, 2022

Sigiriya, Anuradhapura, Kelaniya Rajamaha viharaya, and Galle Fort are a few of the top historical places in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka has a rich history that runs long to 2500 years back. From Vijaya to Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe, many kings ruled Sri Lanka. During their reign, important historical places in Sri Lanka were created. The technologies they used to build such places are unbelievable and still exist today.

What are the historical places in Sri Lanka?

There are hundreds of historical places in Sri Lanka map, and you cannot describe their values even with ten thousand words if you are writing a historical places in Sri Lanka essay. So, in this article, we chose some places with the most historical value and added value as world heritage selected by UNESCO.

The ancient city of Anuradhapura

Let us begin our historical places in Sri Lanka presentation with Sri Lanka’s largest city, Anuradhapura. It serves as the Anuradhapura District’s capital and the provincial capital of Sri Lanka’s North Central Province. One of Sri Lanka’s former capitals, Anuradhapura, is renowned for having some of the best-preserved ancient Sinhala ruins anywhere.

The ancient city of Polonnaruwa

On the island, Polonnaruwa is the second-largest Kingdom. One of the best-planned archaeological relic sites in the nation, the old city of Polonnaruwa continues to remain as evidence of the strength and control of the Kingdom’s founding rulers. Some of the historical places in Polonnaruwa Sri Lanka are Lankathilaka temple, a massive stone statue of the Buddha, and Parakrama Samudraya.

The ancient city of Sigiriya

Sigiriya is an old royal palace dating back to the fourth century. Built by King Kasyapa, Sigiriya is considered by some to be the eighth wonder of the world. You can see the ruins of the Sigiri royal palace on the highest plain of the Sigiri rock. The central courtyard features the Lion Gate, the Mirror Wall, and the Murals on the Mirror Wall. With moats, walls, and gardens, the lower palace precincts fastened securely to the slopes below.

King Kashyapa used Sigiriya as a palace as well as a fort. The evidence of the artist’s amazing creative skills of the former Sri Lankans are still in the Sigiriya premises. The stone pot on the highest plain of the Sigiri rock collects water and gives water to the moats and gardens below, giving the palace premises a great attraction. 

Amazing, huh!

Are you writing about a historical places in Sri Lanka essay Sigiriya? 

You might need to gather a dozen pens and paper because it will be extended.

Hakgala Botanical Garden

Hakgala Botanical Garden is also in the central province, like Sigiriya. This is not a world heritage but is worth mentioning in this list as one of the famous places in Sri Lanka related to Ramayana. According to the legend of the Ramayana, King Ravana of the Sri Lankan kingdom abducted the Indian goddess Sita and hid her in the Sita Eliya in this area. The Sita Amman Temple, built in memory of that legend, is almost close to the park.

The sacred city of Kandy

The Kandy Puja City, known as Sri Dalada Maligawa, is a sacred place of particular religious importance. The fact that it was built within a royal palace precinct was the basis for protecting the tooth relic. While Buddhists constantly worship the tooth relic, it has greatly influenced the Sri Lankan government in the past. At that time, the person who owned the tooth relic was entitled to kingship, so the ruling kings made great efforts to protect the tooth relic.

Why is Kandy among the historical places in Sri Lanka in Sinhala history? 

Between 1592 and 1815, Kandy served as the seat of the Sinhalese monarchs. The territory formed by a ring of mountains around the Kingdom was able to strengthen the defense of the Kingdom. The city of Kandy has been the main reason for naming Sri Dalada Maliga as a World Heritage Site.

Galle Fort – One of the mind-numbing historical places in Sri Lanka

Located on the southeast coast of the Galle region of Sri Lanka, overlooking the city of Galle. Galle Fort is a historical place in Sri Lanka completed by the Portuguese in 1588. The Dutch later extensively modernized it in the 17th century. It was the main administrative center of Sri Lanka during the Portuguese and Dutch eras. It has all the features a city should have. The most prominent building in the fort is the Dutch warehouse.

Kelaniya Rajamaha Viharaya

When visiting historical places in Colombo, you should visit The Kelaniya Rajamaha Viharaya. This is also not named a world heritage but is a very sacred place that has received great devotion from local and foreign Buddhists. And from King Devanampiyatissa to the last king, many kings have devoted themselves to Kelani Vihara. Also, the Kelani temple is more special than other temples because it has two Buddha temples in the same temple. It is the old temple and the new temple.

The old temple dates back to the 18th century, and its paintings belong to the Kandy period. The Duruthu Perahera, held annually at the Kelaniya Rajamaha Viharaya, is filled with colorful religious and cultural attributes. It reflects the joy of Buddhalambhana in the minds of the Buddhist people.

Conclusion

As we emphasized in the beginning, there are many things to learn about historical places in Sri Lanka with names and backstories. You can also format the details in this article to a historical places in Sri Lanka pdf. While you do that, you will realize that the island country is not just another country you should visit for a tour. Do not forget to visit these places at least once in your lifetime will amaze you with their rich history and uniqueness as world heritages.