The Ramayana Excursion

After landing at Colombo Airport, you will be welcomed and driven to Negombo. Time permitting, you can go for a brief city-tour of Negombo and relax at the hotel. Have dinner and retire for the night in the hotel at Negombo.

Have a hearty breakfast and leave to visit Muneshwaram and Manawari. These places are of significance in the Ramayana after King Ravana?s defeat. The legend goes that after the death of King Ravana, Lord Rama was being followed by Bramahathi Dosham as King Ravan was a Brahmin. So he stopped the Vimana that he was using to fly to Ayodhya at Muneshwaram because he felt that ?the Bramahathi Dosham" was not following him?. He descended from the Vimana and asked Lord Shiva for a remedy who advised him to install and pray to four lingams in Manawari, Thirukoneshvaram, Thiruketheeshwaram, and Rameshwaram in India, as the only remedy to get rid of the Dosham. After Muneshwaram and Manawari, continue on to Kandy stopping en-route at Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and the Herbal Garden. In the evening, visit D?lada Maligai, which is the Sacred Tooth Relic (D?lada) of Lord Buddha. It is the most venerated object of worship for Buddhists. After this you will later witness spectacular dance performances in a Cultural show. You will have reached Kandy, and retire overnight at the Hotel in Kandy.

Have breakfast and visit the botanical gardens at Peradeniya. This garden is noted for its large number and great variety of plants, indigenous as well as introduced, and contains over 4,000 species and varieties making it one of the best and most valuable collections in the world. One of the main attractions is the Orchid House. After this, drive on to Nuwara Eliya. En-route stop at Sri Baktha Hanuman Temple and later at a tea plantation to see the tea-pluckers at work and then visit a tea factory to witness the manufacturing process of the finest Ceylon tea. After reaching Nuwara Eliya in the afternoon, you will be taken for a sightseeing tour of the city. Set in the heart of tea-country, this beautiful town is where the British succeeded in creating an English countryside with homes in styles from Georgian to Queen Anne. Well-kept lawns with hedges, an Anglican church, the famous golf course and beautiful parks give the place an air of quaintness. Situated 1890 meters above sea level, the air here is cool and fresh. You will be staying overnight in Nuwara Eliya.

After breakfast visit Seetha Amman temple in Ashoka Vathika, and if time permits, Huggala Botanical garden as well. Legend goes that there is a stream that runs from the hill, where the Seetha Amman Temple is located, that catered to the needs of Goddess Sitadevi during her stay at Ashoka Vatika. Around a century ago, three idols (one of which was of Goddess Sitadevi) were discovered in the stream, and it is believed that these idols have been worshipped in this spot for centuries. Now, there is a temple for Lord Rama, Sitadevi, Lakshmana and Hanuman near the stream. It is interesting to note that foot prints of different sizes, akin to Lord Hanuman's, are found by this river, hinting at the immense powers of God transforming himself into any size. Divurumpola is the place where Sitadevi underwent the Agni Pariksha. It is a popular place of worship among locals in this area. Dirumpola means ?Place of Oath? in Singhala. The legal system permits and accepts the searing done at this temple while settling disputes between parties. When King Ravana had kidnapped Princess Sita, he had hidden her in the caves behind this waterfall. These caves are now simply known as the Ravana Ella Caves. During those times, the cave was surrounded with thick forests. After all the sight-seeing, return back to the hotel and spend the night in Nuwara Eliya.

Have breakfast at Nuwara Eliya and drive to Colombo. Sight-seeing around Colombo consists of the Panchamuga Anjaneyar Temple, Kelaniya Temple and other temples and monuments in the city. The Panchamuga (Five-faced) Anjaneyar Temple is the first Anjaneyar Temple in Sri Lanka. It is the only one in Sri Lanka which is Panchamuga and the only one in the world to have a chariot for Ajanyear. The chariot festival is held annually end Dec/ beginning of January. Hanuman's mother is Anjana. Hanuman is known as Anjan + Aiyar = Anjaneyar in South India (Hamuman in North India). It was at Kelaniya that Vibeeshana was coronated as King of Lanka by Lakshmana after King Ravana's death, and there is a temple here to commemorate the same. There are murals enshrined outside the Buddhist temple depicting the crowning of Vibeeshana. The Kelani River is mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayana and Vibeeshana?s palace was said to be on the banks of this river. The reason Lakshmana crowned Vibeeshana, was because Lord Rama had to return to India to continue his self-exile of 14 years honouring the commitment to his late father, King Dasarath of Ayodhya. There exists a Buddhist temple and shrine for King Vibeeshana, who is considered one of the four guardian deities of Sri Lanka. Temples for Vibeeshana are found throughout Sri Lanka. A painting of King Vibeeshana adorns the new Parliament of Sri Lanka. In fact there are no temples dedicated to Ravana, but many exist for Vibeeshana; this goes to prove that his stand towards dharma & justice made people revere him as a God in Sri Lanka. King Vibeeshana was considered a fair king, as he supported Rama against his own brother's injustice. Many devotees that visit king Vibeeshana's shrine pray to him asking his intervention to a fair recourse to their problems. Colombo is like any typical capital city in a developing country that is fast changing its face. Almost overnight, skyscrapers arise in the place where old buildings once stood. Yet in some parts, the old world charm is retained with several British Colonial buildings, Hindu and Buddhist temples, residential areas where you find the stately homes of the affluent, and the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) - an outright gift to Sri Lanka from the People's Republic of China. In the evening, you will have time free for shopping; House of Fashion, Odel Dress Boutique, Majestic City, Noritake Ceramic-ware showroom and the local souvenir shops are recommended. After a day of touring, retire overnight in hotel in Colombo.

Have breakfast and check-out according to your flight schedule. Do note that the airport is an hour?s drive away from the city.