- Anuradhapura
- Sigiriya
- Polonnaruwa
- Mihintale
- Dambulla
- Kandy
- Kataragama
Anuradhapura
This major historical city was the first capital of Sri Lanka and was originally founded by a king's minister, named Anuradha, around 4 th century B.C. The leading historical site in Anuradhapura is the Sacred Bo Tree- Sri Maha Bodhi. The city also contains magnificent dagobas like Ruwanweli, Thuparama, Jetavana, Lankarama, Abhayagiri and Mirisaweti. Isurumuniya is a temple in Anuradhapura renowned for its beautiful stone carvings and the Samadhi Buddha statue is an example of outstanding work of sculpture.
Sigiriya
Sigiriya is an ancient fortress located 22 km northeast of Dambulla in the North Central Province. The ruins of this city are considered to be the most outstanding of the ancient sites of Sri Lanka. Situated on the summit of the Sigiriya rock are the remnants of the earliest surviving royal palace in Sri Lanka. Also known for its amazing frescoes painted around 15 centuries ago, Sigiriya is one of the major historical cities of Sri Lanka
Polonnaruwa The capital of Sri Lanka was shifted from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa in the early 11th century. The city is surrounded by the remarkable 12 th century Royal Citadel and is one of Sri Lanka's historical places.
Mihintale
According to legend, the sacred mountain of Mihintale was sanctified by Lord Buddha and hence regarded as one of the 16 holy sites of Sri Lanka. Mihintale is also known as Sri Lanka's cradle of Buddhism.
Dambulla
Dambulla is famous for its cave temples with frescoes and an abundance of sculpture work. A major place of interest is Raja Maha Vihara.
Kandy
The royal city of Kandy was the last seat of the Sinhala kings and famous for its Tooth relic of Buddha and the Esala Perahera a historical parade. It is also one of the noted historical places in Sri Lanka. a historical parade. It is also one of the noted historical places in Sri Lanka.
Kataragama
Kataragama is one of the few places in Sri Lanka which is worshipped by most of the popular religious people in Sri Lanka. According to the Buddhists, Katragama is one of the 16 places visited by Buddha (solos maha stana) during his 3 visits to Sri Lanksa.
The current Kataragama Devale is thought to be built by the King Dutuganumu (161-131 BC) after defeating Elara, the Tamil invader. This is a plain building void of any decorations. There are no figures of gods or idols in the building. Only thing the people can see is a curtain with a painting of god Kataragama with his two consorts Valli Amma and Thevani Amma on his official vehicle, the peacock. Behind this curtain is the holiest object which is said to be a Yanthra in a relic container. Only two highest priests are ever allowed to access it, the maha-kapurala and the devini-kapurala. What it looks like and what kind of yanthra itself is totally unknown by the others. Some say this is a supposed to be a gold leaf and the yantra represent a six pointed star which is the symbol of god Kataragama.
