Essence

Despite its fame as a resplendent island and a leading tourist destination, the secret of Sri Lanka’s attraction lies with its people. The spice addicted, cricket crazy and tea drinking people of Sri Lanka are famed for big smiles and a bigger heart. With a culture enriched with three thousand years of knowledge, Buddhism and many a colonial traditions, the Sri Lankan society is a potpourri of religions and races different yet similar in many a ways.

The Sri Lankans all love their food spicy and their tea light; an unavoidable for a country, which produces the world’s best spices and tea. Introduced to the country in the 19th century by colonial British Ceylon tea is the best tea in the world while Sri Lanka has also been known for its high quality spices since time immemorial.

In Sri Lanka, cricket is the ultimate passion which draws all the Sri Lankans together irrespective of caste, race and creed.

Other than tea and cricket, gems especially blue sapphires is synonymous with Sri Lanka. Country’s gem industry has a long, colourful history. Known also as ‘Rathnadeepa’ or the land of gems Sri Lanka had been producing brilliant blue Sapphire and red rubies among many other. Along with gems, Sri Lanka had been exporting fine crafted ivory to many royal courts of Europe. Many dainty treasures carved by local artists in ivory are found in the museum in Europe standing witness to the local skills, which is still found after being handed over father to son. 

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Festive

With a population composed with many a races and religions, Sri Lanka is never short of festivals and celebrations. Every month brings a celebration either religious or cultural importance, making Sri Lanka one of the countries with highest number of celebrations and holidays. 

The Sinhala-Tamil New year festival in April is the most important cultural festival in the country. The festival marks the beginning of the New Year and the end of harvesting season. A lengthy holiday and a table full of oily traditional delicacies like kokis, makes the New Year festival one of the long awaited festivals in the country.

The May full moon poya day or Vesak is the most important religious celebration in Sri Lanka, where Buddhists celebrate the nativity, enlightenment and passing away of Lord Buddha with many celebrations. Sri Lankans of every religion crowd the roads to enjoy Vesak decorations including pandals and lanterns and many a makeshift alm houses that line the roads offering every food item from beverages, dessert to main meals.

In August are the Esala festivals in Kandy and Kataragama. The Kataragama Esala Festival is a multi-religious festival where devotes use fire walking and extreme self-penance to shows their piety to Lord Kataragama. The Kandy Esala Perahera or the Dalanda Perahera is the largest cultural parade in the world and showcases the best of Sri Lankan dancing and music and the best of the domesticated tuskers in the country.

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Scenic

Sri Lanka is filled with romantic landscapes, governed by rising mountains, lush forests, ocean like tanks and gushing waterfalls, that it was considered the lost paradise by many a globe trotters, who fell upon the country. The golden beaches of the country had been praised for their picture postcard views since eternity. The dusk and dawn and many human activities connected to these times of the day creates a vibrant picture along the coasts of Sri Lanka.

The central highlands of the island are filled with pictures of stirring mountains carpeted with lush green tea gardens, roaring waterfalls mingling with the clouds and landscapes shimmering in sunlight and disappearing under the rising mist. Travelling towards the top of the country to the North Central Valley of the Kings, mountains covered with lush tropical forests disappears under the glare of the sun giving way to acres of light green carpets of paddy dotted with towering ancient white stupas and fed with oceans like reservoirs locally known as wewa.  Giant statues of Lord Buddha rises above the forest line while ancient palaces stand abandoned to the forest, waiting for a master, who long departed from life.

Travelling further north the landscape changes drastically, North of Sri Lanka is a world apart from the rest of country. Colorful Hindu temples replace the white pagodas while sari clad damsels roam the streets on bicycles.

On the western coasts of the country is Colombo, a capital city of the island, which displays a rich colonial heritage. A potpourri of races, religions and cultures, Colombo parades the best and worst the country has to offer.  

 

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Bliss

Sri Lanka had continued to inspire and heal many who travelled to its shores ever since its existence was known to the world. Many who set foot on the island had considered it a part of a divine existence, Sri Lanka still continues to wrap its charm around its visitors, capturing their imagination with sights, sounds and flavors. Sri Lankan cuisines are a hidden treat to many while Ayurveda and meditation continues to heal the bodies and minds worn out with the cares of life. 

The country’s native healing system, Ayurveda has been perfected over more than five thousand years. Based on herbs and diet, it was region’s only treatment method until the introduction of Western Medication in the 19th Century.

Meditation plays a large role in maintaining a perfect mental health. Buddhist meditation mainly deals with right mindfulness, right concentration and right view, three of the Noble eightfold path.

Although it would not heal your body or mind and uplift your senses to a godly realm, shopping therapy is bound to provide you with a temporary bliss and Sri Lanka provide excellent opportunity to immerse in shopping choosing between brilliant jewels and jewelry, finely carved wood, pottery and metal ware, porcelain, batik, spices and tea.

The craftsman ship of the country’s jewelers, weavers, woodworkers and ivory carvers had amazed the world for the last three thousand years ever since their creations were exported to many a corner of the civilized word.

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Wild

Despite its small size Sri Lanka boasts of one of the highest rates of biological endemism in the world whether in plants or animals and is included among the top five biodiversity hotspots in the world. Of the ninety-one species of mammals found in Sri Lanka Asian elephants, sloth bear, leopards, sambar and wild buffaloes engages the majority of the attention of wildlife enthusiast. Yet the rarest mammals of Sri Lanka are the red slender Loris, Toque Macaque, and Purple-faced Langur, who according to IUCN clarifications are endangered due to habitat loss. 

Meanwhile the ocean around Sri Lanka is home to large families of cetaceans including the mighty blue whales, sperm whales and lively dolphins. Altogether 26 species of cetaceans rule the waters surrounding the country, making it one of the best locations for whale and dolphin watching.  

Despite the mighty elephants and rare amphibians found in the country birds are the glory of the Sri Lanka’s wildlife. Boasting nearly 433 bird species of which 233 are resident Sri Lanka holds 20 endemic species while another 80 species have developed distinct Sri Lankan races, compared to their cousins in Indian mainland.

Although less celebrated, Sri Lanka has one of the richest diversity of amphibians in the world, containing over 106 species of amphibians of over 90 of which are endemic. The country has long claimed to have the highest amphibian species density in the world with a high concentration in the Sinharaja rainforest.

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Thrills

With varying climates and Geography packed into a small island Sri Lanka offers a range of adventures from the top of the mountains to the depths of the oceans. 

Other than taking a dip in the oceans or snorkelling, scuba diving and surfing are the most popular beach sports in the country. Scuba diving has long history in the country. Today the oceans filled with coral gardens, multitude of exotic fishes and ancient wrecks Sri Lanka offers one of the best diving experiences in the world. Although comparatively new to the country surfing too has made its mark in the Southern and Eastern coasts of the island for the last twenty five years. The sea around Sri Lanka is also one of the most challenging marine game fishing locations while white water rafting, Kayaking and canoeing are some of the relatively new water sports practiced in the country.

With multitude of roads winding through expanding mountains, lush green forests, paddy fields, parks and sleepy villages, Sri Lanka also offers many opportunities to keen hikers and trekkers. Trail blazing through the tracks and paths on horse or elephant back too is a novel experience introduced recently.

Experience the thrills of crumbling rocks beneath the feet, head spinning heights and the earth expanding beneath when conquering many mountains of Sri Lanka or take over waterfall climbing with exciting climbs like the rock face of Bambarakanda waterfall, the tallest in the country.

With many an adventures packed within few miles of each other Sri Lanka is an adventure itself waiting to happen.

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Heritage

With a history expanding over 3000years, Sri Lanka holds some of world’s ancient cities including Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Digamadulla; their once glorious townships, palaces, temples, monasteries, hospitals and theaters intricately carved and modeled out of stone lay and abandoned and forgotten with time amidst the soaring jungles.

Of all the ancient cities of Lanka, the most famed and most exquisite is the Kingdom of Anuradhapura. Sri Lanka’s third and the longest serving capital and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world is also one of the most sacred cities of World Buddhists. It was the capital of Sri Lanka from the Fourth Century BC up to the turn of the eleventh Century and was one of the most stable and durable centers of political power and urban life in South Asia.

Sigiriya, a fifth century AD fortress and a water garden displays some of the most futuristic elements of landscaping and some of the oldest murals recorded in the country.

Polonnaruwa, the second most ancient kingdom of the country boasts of Irrigation systems that are far superior to those of the and they still provide irrigation water to the farmers in and around Polonnaruwa.Digamadulla, the Eastern kingdom of Sri Lanka was the agricultural and spiritual capital of the country during the Anuradhapura kingdom.

Sri Lanka’s last kingdom the Kingdome of Kandy is a testament to the Sri Lankan’s ability to pick up and rise from ashes. After being burned and ravaged more than thrice by the invading Portuguese the Kandyan Kingdom still holds beautifully carved and built houses, palaces and temple preserved for nearly 500 years.

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