Buddhist Pilgrimage Tour – Sri Lanka

Day 1 Airport – Sigiriya

Meeting and Greeting at the Airport. Transfer from airport to hotel in   Sigiriya. En-Route Visit Cave Temple

Cave   temple

The area is thought to be inhabited   from as early as the 7th to 3rd century BC. Statues and paintings in these   caves date back to the 1st century BC. But the paintings and statues were   repaired and repainted in 11th, 12th, and 18th century AD. The caves in the   city provided refuge to King Valagamba (also called Vattagamini Abhaya) in   his 14 yearlong exile from the Anuradhapura kingdom. Buddhist Monk meditating   in the caves of Dambulla at that time provided the exiled king protection   from his enemies. When King Valagamba returned to the throne at Anuradhapura   kingdom in the 1st century BC, he had a magnificent rock temple built at   Dambulla as a gratitude to the monks in Dambulla. Dinner and Overnight stay at Hotel in   Sigiriya

Day 2 Sigiriya   – Polonnaruwa - Sigiriya

Breakfast from Hotel. Visit Sigiriya

Sigiriya

Sigiriya is an amazing geological   formation in Sri Lanka that encompasses an important archaeological site.   Sigiriya lies 22 km north-east of Dambulla in the North central province of   Sri Lanka. The tourist site of Sigiriya has been declared as a UNESCO world   heritage site since 1982 and is part of the seven world heritage sites of Sri   Lanka. Sigiriya is located in the middle of the tourism cultural triangle   formed by connecting the world heritage sites of Anuradhapura, Kandy and   Polonnaruwa in Sri Lanka. Day Excursion to Polonnaruwa

Polonnaruwa

Polonnaruwa   is the second largest city in North Central Province, but it is known as one   of the cleanest and more beautiful cities in the country. The   green environment, amazing ancient constructions, Parakrama Samudra (a huge   lake built in 1200), and attractive tourist hotels and hospitable people,   attract tourists.

Place to visit at Polonnaruwa

1. The Royal Palace

2. The Shiva Devale No. 2

3. The Audience Hall

4. The Sacred Quadrangle

5. The Swimming Pool

6. The Dagaba Kiri Vihara

7. The Pabalu Vehera

8. The Buddha statue at Lankatilaka

9. Lord Buddha figures at Gal Vihara

10. The Rankot Vihara

11. Polonnaruwa Tank

Return to Sigiriya. Dinner and Overnight stay at Hotel in Sigiriya

Day 3 Sigiriya – Anuradhapura – Mihinthale   - Sigiriya

Breakfast at the Hotel. Day Excursion to Anuradhapura

Anuradhapura

Anuradhapura is one of the ancient   capitals of Sri   Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Sri Lankan   civilization. It was 3rd capital of the Kingdom of Rajarata after Tambapanni and Upatissa Nuwara.

The city, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies   205 km north of the current capital Colombo in Sri   Lanka's North Central Province, on the   banks of the historic Malvathu Oya. It is one of the oldest continuously   inhabited cities in the world and one of the eight World Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka.

From the 4th century BC, it was the   capital of Sri Lanka until the beginning of the 11th century AD. During this period,   it remained one of the most stable and durable centers of political power and   urban life in South Asia. The ancient city, considered sacred to the Buddhist   world, is today surrounded by monasteries covering an area of over sixteen   square miles (40 km²).

Although according to historical   records the city was founded in the 5th century BC, the archaeological data   put the date as far back as the 10th century BC. Very little evidence was   available about the period before the 5th century BC (i.e. the protohistoric   period), though excavations have revealed information about the earlier   inhabitants of the city.

Place to visit at Anuradhapura

1. The Sri Mahabodhi Tree,

2. Loha Prasada - The Brazen Palace

3. The Mahathupa - Ruwanweli Dagaba

4. The Thuparama Dagaba

5. The Jetavana Dagaba

6. The Abhayagiri Monastery & Dagaba

7. The Samadhi Buddha

8. The Kuttam Pokuna - The Twin Ponds

9. Mihinthale Viharaya

Visit Mihinthale

Mihinthale

Mihinthale is a mountain peak near   Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka. It is believed by Sri Lankans to be the site of a   meeting between the Buddhist monk Mahinda and King Devanampiyatissa which   inaugurated the presence of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. It is now a pilgrimage   site, and the site of several religious monuments and abandoned structures.

According to Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa, Thera   Mahinda came to Sri Lanka from India on the full moon day of the month of   Poson (June) and met King Devanampiyatissa and the people, and preached the   doctrine. The traditional spot where this meeting took place is revered by   the Buddhists of Sri Lanka. Therefore, in the month of Poson, Buddhists make   their pilgrimage to Anuradhapura and Mihinthale. Return to Sigiriya. Dinner and Overnight stay at Hotel in Sigiriya

Day 4 Sigiriya -   Kandy

Breakfast at the Hotel. Transfer form Sigiriya to Kandy. Visit Matale Aluviharaya

Aluvihara

Aluvihara;   Luminous Cave Temple is synonymous with the teaching of the Buddha. Aluvihara   rightly assumes its significance in the annals of the history of world   Buddhism. It is in this very location that the Tipiţaka was documented on   palm-leaves. “Assembled the priests, who here compared their texts, which   were then, or soon afterwards, committed to writing, and form the Banapota or   Buddhist Bible. This took place about ninety-two years B.C.” “Therefore, to   the enlightened Buddhist” says Major Forbes in his work Eleven years in   Ceylon written in 1840 “This secluded and comparatively unpretending cavern   must be of infinitely greater interest than the Temple of the Tooth or   Thupārāma itself.” Aluvihāra also preserved with it a host of rich   literature that had woven around the Tipiţaka including commentarie

Temple of Tooth Relic

Located in Kandy, long a centre of the   Buddhist faith, the stunning 17th-century Temple of the Tooth (Sri   Dalada Maligawa) is believed to house the left upper canine tooth of the Lord   Buddha himself. This precious relic attracts white-clad pilgrims, bearing   lotus blossoms and frangipani, every day.

According to legend, the tooth was   taken from the Buddha as he lay on his funeral pyre. It was smuggled to Sri   Lanka in 313 ADS, hidden in the hair of Princess Hemamali who fled the Hindu   armies besieging her father's kingdom in India.

It immediately became an object of   great reverence and was enshrined in a series of nested jeweled reliquaries.   The tooth was brought out for special occasions and paraded on the backs of   elephants, which are sacred to the Buddha. Where it survived numerous   attempts to capture and destroy it.

When the capital was moved to Kandy,   the tooth was taken to the new city and placed in temples built to honor it.   The temple was originally built under Kandyan kings between 1687 and 1707

City Tour at Kandy (Lake drive, Gem   Museum, Silk shop, Batik etc…..). Evening View Of cultural show. Dinner and Overnight stay at Hotel in   Kandy

Day 5 Kandy

Breakfast at Hotel

Visit Ambuluwawa Temple

Ambuluwawa mountain peak has a height of 3567 feet above sea level. It   is located over 1000 feet above from the Gampola Town. The tower is located   on the summit of the mountain peak. Since there are no other mountains in the   surrounding area and due to its unique location, Ambuluwawa Tower gets an   undisturbed view from far away and vice versa

Bahirawa Kanda Temple

Royal Botanical Garden Peradeniya

Peradeniya   is situated about 5.5 km to the west from the city of Kandy in the Central   Province of Sri Lanka and attracts 1.2 million visitors annually; it is   renowned for its collection of a variety of orchids.

It   includes more than 300 varieties of orchids, spices, medicinal plants and   palm trees. Attached to it is the National Herbarium. The total area of the   botanical garden is 147 acres (0.59 km2), at 460 meters above sea level, and   with a 200-day annual rainfall. It is managed by the Division of National   Botanic Gardens of the Department of Agriculture. The origins of the Botanic   Gardens date as far back as 1371 when King Wickramabahu III ascended the   throne and kept court at Peradeniya near Mahaweli river. This was followed by   King Kirti Sri and King Rajadhi Rajasinghe. A temple was built on this   location by King Wimala Dharma, but it was destroyed by the British when they   were given control over the Kingdom of Kandy. Thereafter, the groundwork for   a botanical garden was formed by Alexandar Moon in 1821. The Botanical Garden   at Peradeniya was formally established in 1843 with plants brought from Kew   Garden, Slave Island, Colombo, and the Kalutara Garden in Kalutara.

The   Royal Botanic Garden, Peradeniya was made more independent and expanded under   George Gardner as superintendent in 1844.On his death in 1849 George Henry   Kendrick Thwaites became superintendent.  The Garden came under the   administration of the Department of Agriculture when it was established in 1912. Dinner and Overnight stay at Hotel in   Kandy

Day 6 Kandy- Colombo

Breakfast at the Hotel. Transfer from Kandy to Colombo. En- Route visit Pinnawala Elephant   Orphanage

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

Pinnawala orphanage is situated in   Rabukkana, northwest of the town Kegalla, half ways between the present   capital Colombo and the ancient royal residence Kandy in the hills of central   Sri Lanka. It was established 1975 by the Sri Lanka Wildlife department. This   24-acre large elephant orphanage is an also breeding pace for elephants, the   first elephant baby was born in 1984, and it has the greatest herd of   elephants in captivity in the world. Between 1975 and 2012, 67 animals were   born here.

Spice Garden at Mawanella

Sri Lanka is world renowned for its   valued spices and healing herbs. Our lush spice and herbal gardens feature   many important herbs such as Sandalwood, Margosa, Cocoa, Citronella, Almond,   Jasmine and Coconut. When visiting us, make the most of the chance to   experience first-hand how cloves, pepper, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and   saffron are grown in their natural surroundings.

At Regent Spice and Herbal Garden, you   can learn of their medicinal healing properties and how to use them in your day-to-day   needs. Used worldwide in many medicines, the healing powers of spices have   been respected from the time of the Pharaohs and Chinese Dynasties, while our   herbs are used in Ayurvedic concoctions.

Transfer to Colombo

Visit Kelaniya Temple

Colombo city   tour & Shopping

Colombo -   visit fort and Pettah areas and drive past the 100-year-old clock tower, the   old parliament and several British built, colonial buildings.  Other   places of interest are, a Hindu and a Buddhist temple, residential areas   where you find the stately homes of the affluent, the Colombo Museum, the   Bandaranaike memorial international conference hall (BMICH). visit the   ceramics corporation showrooms, the ODEL unlimited dress boutique and the   majestic city shopping complex.  Overnight stay at your hotel in Colombo. Late Evening – Walk at Galle Face   Green. Dinner and Overnight stay at Hotel in Colombo

Day 7 Colombo - Airport

Breakfast at the Hotel. Transfer from Colombo to airport for   Departure Flight