Sigiriya

Sigiriya

It is probably the most singular geological formation in Sri Lanka, and encompasses one of the more remarkable archaeological sites. It has a dramatic history that has all the elements of a classic drama, with a central character straight from Shakespeare’s pen. It is simply an awesome tourist experience that should not be missed. For maximum enjoyment, however, make your ascent of the rock at dawn.

Sigiriya is located 22km north-east of Dambulla in the North Central Province. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, it towers more than 200m over the surrounding plains and has been visited by tourists for over 1,000 years – indeed it is considered one of the world’s oldest tourist sites. Though the rock has weathered, its former opulence and greatness as a magnificent palace can still be seen in the form of beautiful paintings, ancient graffiti and symmetrical gardens.

Ratnapura

Ratnapura

Although gems are found in many places in Sri Lanka, the best locations are in the river valleys at the foot of Adam’s Peak (Sri Pada), near the town of Ratnapura. No surprise, then, that Ratnapura became the country’s gem centre. As mechanized gem-mining is banned in Sri Lanka, the extraction of gemstones is an unsophisticated and small-scale affair, which has the advantage that the traditional methods employed are observable.
Ratnapura is the capital of the province of Sabaragamuwa and the capital of the gem-mining industry in Sri Lanka. In fact the name means “City of Gems.” A pleasant but bustling place, very humid and rainy most of the year, it does however exhibit an extraordinary verdancy and afford grand views of the surrounding countryside, in particular the famous and revered mountain, Adam’s Peak (Sri Pada).

Bella Woolf writes in her influential early 20th century guidebook, How to See Ceylon (1914): “Ratnapura is one of the most beautifully situated towns in Ceylon, except for its climate, which is aptly compared to a Turkish bath. Still it is this hot moist temperature which makes all leaf and blossom more luxuriant in Ratnapura than anywhere else. Alone the scarlet shoe-flowers seem double as large and glow brighter here than anywhere else.”

Polonnaruwa

Polonnaruwa

Polonnaruwa was Sri Lanka’s medieval capital between the 11th and 13th centuries. Enclosed within three concentric walls, the city contained royal palaces, bathing ponds, monasteries and sacred architecture such as dagobas and image houses. Its grandeur was largely the creation of three kings, Vijayabahu, Parakramabahu and Nissanka Malla, although the last-mentioned emptied the coffers in doing so.
There is a Sinhalese folktale about the two most venomous snakes in Sri Lanka, the cobra (naya) and the Russell’s viper (tic-polonga). The two snakes meet at a time of drought, and the tic-polonga asks the naya where he can quench his thirst. As it happens, the naya had recently come across some water in which a child was playing. While the naya had taken a drink the child had accidentally hit the snake, but the creature, being even-tempered, had refrained from biting. Knowing that the tic-polonga was of a touchy disposition, the naya tells its fellow reptile that it does indeed know of a place to drink, but will only reveal the location if the tic-polonga promises not to bite the child. The tic-polonga agrees but bites the child anyway, so the naya kills the recalcitrant snake in combat. Thus have they always been enemies.

Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya]

An early 20th century English writer commented on Nuwara Eliya: “When he looks out of his window in the early morning and sees the whole world glistening under hoar-frost and the garden brimming with geraniums, pansies, sweet peas and every English flower, he wonders if he is really in the tropics at all.” There’s no need to wonder. It is the tropics and it’s for real.
Sri Lanka is well-known for hot sunny days and beautiful stretches of palm-fringed beaches. So how can there exist a place that has grey, cold, drizzly days and chilly nights with a mean temperature of 57F? Where there is a need for wood fires and extra blankets at bedtime to stave off the cold? Where there is a golf course, English-style pubs, trout fishing - and not even a palm tree in sight?

But Sri Lanka is, as the early 20th-century writer Bella Woolf says, “an amazing little island” because of its surprising contrasts. So it is that within reasonably easy reach of the capital you will find a temperate climate, and the environment that goes with it. Situated at 1,896m, Nuwara Eliya, cushioned by Lake Gregory and surrounded by wooded mountains, is Sri Lanka’s most elevated town. It lies at the foot of Pidurutalagala, the island’s highest mountain, among a variety of trees and shrubs suited only to this wild and rugged terrain.

Negombo

Negombo

The Sinhalese refer to Negombo as Meegamuwa – “The village of honey” (or bees) – due to a story about a swarm of bees that had settled in a boat pulled ashore here. However, it was not honey or bees that made this town well-known but cinnamon. This valuable spice is native to the island, as its botanical name, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, suggests. Discovered by the Moors (a term first used during the Portuguese period to refer to Muslims) who settled on the west coast, cinnamon soon became the source of conflict between nations vying for a stake in its lucrative trade.
The Portuguese ousted the Moors from Negombo towards the end of the 16th century and took over the cinnamon trade, even building a fort to protect their interests. Although the Portuguese just cut the cinnamon growing wild in this region, it was the Dutch, who on capturing Negombo in the 1640s, encouraged planting in commercial groves to maximize production. Under their rigid control of the western coastal areas, Negombo became a busy commercial port. And, since the soils of Negombo are so fine and sandy, the cinnamon produced in the area was considered the sweetest and therefore most prized.
Today, however, Negombo is renowned for its fishing. Many of the fishermen belong to the karava caste that traditionally used non-mechanised craft such as outrigger canoes (oruwa) and wooden craft (teppam). The karava – who mainly comprise converted Roman Catholic fisher-families – are allegedly descendents of a North Indian warrior of the same name who first arrived in Sri Lanka over a millennium ago.
The fishing vessels of the karava are constructed without the use of metal. This was because they feared a lodestone (magnetic mountain) in the Indian Ocean that would unleash an uncontrollable force on any craft fitted with metal. Palladius, a 5th-century Greek, claimed that the lodestone was located adjacent to Serendib, and that vessels sailing for the island should be fastened with wooden pegs instead of iron bolts. Tennent (1859) was convinced that the legend was “an invention belonging to an earlier age” and was connected with the local and regional method of boat construction in which the components are lashed together or secured with wooden pegs.
The oruwas fitted with their large sails characterize Negombo, making for an incredibly picturesque sight. On their return from fishing their trademark creamy-brown sails dot the horizon, becoming bigger as they make their way to the shore. You can even arrange to go out in one or, at least inspect its meticulous and clever design. you can even dine in – though unfortunately this one remains on land!
Today, many of the fishing boats are fitted with small engines that power them out to sea in the early morning. Larger ones go out all night and return in the morning to sell their catch. Negombo’s fish market is quite possibly the island’s best. Large catches of fish – tuna, seer, marlin, shark, barracuda and swordfish – nestle beside lagoon prawns, crabs and lobster, for which Negombo is prized.

Due to its significant Catholic population, Negombo is dominated by shrines and picturesque churches. The biggest is the impressive, candy-coloured church of St Mary’s, built over a period of 50 years from 1874, which exhibits some amazing ceiling paintings.

Matara

Matara

“From Tangalla to Matara the road reveals new and unexplained beauty. It skirts the seashore and for mile upon mile, bay succeeds bay, a curve of yellow sand, dazzling blue water and palm-crowned headlands. There is no run more exhilarating in the whole of Ceylon – the scent and sound of the sea, the freshness and the glowing colour make this a never-to-be-forgotten road” - Bella Woolf, How to See Ceylon (1914).

At the end of the south coast railway line lies the town of Matara, the most important settlement on the south coast. The town contains many remnants of Sri Lanka’s colonial past and is divided by the island’s third longest river, the Nilwala Ganga – “Blue River” – a beautiful, wide expanse of water that splits the old town from the new.
Matara important under the Dutch due to its strategic position for trade in spices, gems, and elephants, and so the colonists built two forts called the city Mature, while many other names - among them Mahatara, meaning “Great Harbour”, and Maturai, meaning “Great Fortress”, both used by the Portuguese - have been given to the city over the years.

To the south is the quieter old colonial district alongside the coast consisting largely of the ancient Matara Fort - full of crumbling colonial splendour - as well as the modern bus station and St Mary’s Church, home to the famous statue of Our Lady of Matara.

Though there are some beaches in Matara town, it is not a beach resort. However, if you have some time and wish to soak up the sun you can head to the suburb of Polhena, a few kilometres west of the city, which is a quiet, secluded beach spot where there are some good budget places to stay.

Matara Fort is positioned on a narrow spit of land protected on three sides by water, either the river or sea, and on the fourth by a 13-metre thick, five-metre high rampart. Built around 1640, it was actually a Dutch fortification of an existing Portuguese garrison on the site of the original town.

The fort contains governmental administrative buildings such as the Judicial Court and as you head along the streets that run towards the river estuary at the western end, you will notice many beautiful colonial buildings along narrow tree-lined streets that are, sadly, in various stages of disrepair. When you reach the water’s edge itself you can see lots of colourful fishing boats, the confluence of river and sea, and look over the water to Crow Island.

Kurunegala

Kurunegala
There are many interior Sri Lankan towns that have mysterious mountains and towering rocks as backdrops, and Kurunegala is one of them. Thanks to its picturesque setting with eight peaks, most especially the famed Elephant Rock, Kurunegala has much that makes it remarkable. Once an ancient capital, it also has a history worth becoming acquainted with.

Kurunegala was a royal capital for only 50 years, from the end of the 13th century to the start of the next, though even before this it was strategically placed in the middle of other majestic strongholds such as Yapahuwa to the north, Dambadeniya to the south and Panduwasnuwara in the east.

King Bhuvanekabahu II, who reigned from 1293 to 1302, and his successor Parakramabahu IV, who reigned until 1326, were but two monarchs who took Kurunegala as their capital. The famous tooth relic was housed here after it was returned by the Pandyan kings of southern India, who had captured it during a previous incursion, before it was moved for safety to Polonnaruwa. There is little left to see of where the ancient relic was housed except for a doorway and some stone steps.

Kurunegala, now the capital of the North-Western Province of Wayamba, is described as a crossroads town because it is located at the junction of routes from Kandy to Puttalam and from Colombo to Anuradhapura. However, though this does make the town a good base for exploring many important ancient landmarks a short distance away, it deserves to be recognized for more than its convenience.

The town itself is a busy commercial hub surrounded by rubber estates and coconut plantations. It enjoys a beautiful position, situated beside an ornamental lake that stretches a considerable distance. There are some noticeable large rocks that encircle and dominate the town. They are very visible as you arrive in Kurunegala. Little wonder that the town is always hot, for these rocks increase and retain the heat of the day. The largest is the dark rock, Etagala or “Elephant Rock” (though the translation is actually “tusker”), which at 325m is virtually unmistakable and in any case has a sitting Buddha statue perched on its summit.

Kurunegala’s rocks, eight in number, rise from the plain below. All have characteristic names, six of which come from the animals that they are imagined to represent. They are the Elephant, as mentioned before, Beetle, Eel, Goat, Tortoise and Crocodile. Legend has it that during a drought these six animals were magically transformed into rock since the residents feared they were threatening the town’s precious water supply. It is up to you and your imagination to decide whether the rocks live up to their names!

There are two more rocks that stand loftily over the extended Kurunegala area, one with its own legend. This is the towering Yakdessa or “She-Demon Rock”, so-named because a princess named Kuveni of the Yakka (demon) tribe, having been forsaken by her husband, climbed the rock to cry out her woes. It is apparently cursed! The eighth rock is simply, though not imaginatively, named Gonigala or “Sack Rock”.

It is Etagala or Elephant Rock, however, that overshadows the town and can be climbed either by foot (rewarding) or reached by transport (Rs200 by tuk tuk for a return trip plus waiting time). From the top are breathtaking views over the town of Kurunegala, over the crescent-shaped lake, across to the other rocks, and beyond to paddy fields and coconut plantations.

Not even two-years-old, the magnificent seated Buddha watches over the landscape. You can go upstairs inside the base of the statue to see a small, encased representation of the Buddha and appreciate the small number of artefacts enclosed within. A very popular place, it is nice to appreciate it at sunset when the sun descends directly behind the town and when the air is a little cooler. If you are walking down the steep steps carved into the sheer rock you must be careful, as they are uneven and only suitable for those with a good fitness level and balance!

Ibbagala or “Tortoise Rock”, on the eastern side of Elephant Rock, can also be climbed to reach a small temple situated under an overhanging rock. Here you can see a tiny replica of Adam’s footprint that is found on the summit of Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak). There is also a little dagoba and some paintings depicting the Buddha and his disciples.

The other rocks give beautiful views over the surrounding area. One that forms the bare backbone of the lake also has a small dagoba on its much lower summit that gives a nice view over the lake. It makes for a peaceful evening or morning stroll where you can see many birds and butterflies.