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Sri Lanka Travel Guide |
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Sri Lanka , an island in
the Indian Ocean is located to the south of the Indian subcontinent.
Sri Lanka's capital Colombo, is
a fascinating city, not only for its comfortable blend of
the east and west, but also for its cosy mixture of the past
and the present.
For a tourist, Sri Lanka has many things to offer. A heritage of 2500 years, Beautiful Hill Country where Colonial memories are still alive, Abundant Wildlife with huge number of Wildlife Parks and cannot forget - Miles of Golden Sandy Beaches.
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Location
With a length of 445 km and breadth of 225 km, Sri Lanka
encompasses beautiful tropical beaches, verdant vegetation,
ancient monuments and a thousand delights to please
all taste buds. The relief features of the island consist
of a mountainous mass somewhat south of the centre,
with height exceeding 2,500 metres, surrounded by broad
plains. Palm fringed beaches surround the island and
the temperature of the coast rarely falls below 27OC.
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Climate
In the higher elevations it can be quite cool with temperatures
going down to 16OC at an altitude of nearly 2,000 metres.
Bright, sunny warm days are the rule and are common
even during the height of the monsoon - climatically
Sri Lanka has no off season. The south west monsoon
brings rain mainly from May to July to the western,
southern and central regions of the island, while the
north-east monsoon rains occur in the northern and eastern
regions in December and January. |
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Economy
Within the last few years remittances from Sri Lankans employed
abroad have contributed a large share towards foreign exchange.
The last three decades have seen tourism emerge as an important
industry. There has also been a rapid growth in manufacturing
industries which offer a wide range of export goods such as
petroleum products, leather goods, ready made garments and
electronic equipment.
Demography
Sri Lanka has a population of 18.5 million of whom the majority
are Sinhalese (74%). Other ethnic groups are made up of Sri
Lankan Tamils (12.6%), Indian Tamils (5.5%), Moors, Malays,
Burghers (of Portuguese & Dutch descent) and others (7.9%).
Although Sri Lanka is a multi-religious country, Buddhists
constitute the majority with 69.3%. Other religious groups
are Hindus 15.5%, Muslims 7.6% and Christians 7.5%. Sri Lanka
's literacy rate of 88.6% is one of the highest in Asia .
Language & Religion
Sinhala and Tamil are official languages in Sri Lanka . Sinhala,
a language of Indo-Aryan origin is the language of the majority.
English is widely spoken and understood. Place names and sign-boards
on buses and trains are usually in all three languages. Sri
Lanka is a land of religious freedom and tolerance. Wherever
you travel you will come across a Buddhist Temple or 'Dagoba',
a Hindu 'Kovil', a Christian Church or a Mosque, each with
its own distinctive architecture. When visiting holy places
please conform to the requirements as regarded. Dress in order
as to not show disrespect.
Government
The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a free,
independent and sovereign nation. A system of administration
through provincial councils was introduced in 1988. Legislative
power is exercised by Parliament, elected by universal franchise
on a proportional representation basis. Executive power of
the people, including defence, is exercised by the President,
who is also elected by the people.
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Places of attraction
in Sri Lanka |
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Colombo
Colombo was Sri Lanka's first capital up to recent times.
To the north of the city is the Fort district, the country's
business centre. South is Galle Face Green, a seafront
expanse of occasional green graced by cricket games
and trysting lovers. Cinnamon Gardens , further south,
is the most fashionable neighbourhood, with mansions
and tree-lined streets. |
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Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura is Sri Lanka 's first capital, a potent
symbol of Sinhalese power, and the most extensive and
important of island's ancient cities. It became a capital
in 380 BC and for over 1000 years Sinhalese kings ruled
from this great city.
The Sacred Bo-Tree is the city's holiest site, and was
grown from the tree under which Buddha achieved enlightenment.
The Thuparama Dagoba, the oldest of the many temples
in Anuradhapura , is believed to contain the right collar-bone
of Buddha. |
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Galle
The port of Galle , thought by some to be the Biblical
city of Tarshish , splendidly illustrates the solidity
of the Dutch presence in the island. The 36ha (89ac)
Dutch Fort, built in 1663, has withstood the ravages
of time. Its massive ramparts surround the promontory
that forms the older part of Galle , and shelters within
its walls sturdy Dutch houses, museums and churches.
This World Heritage Site is an impressive place where
the old and the new blend in perfect harmony. |
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Kandy
The serene 'capital' of the hill country, and the historical
bastion of Buddhist power, is built around a peaceful
lake and set in a picturesque bowl of hills. It has
a distinctive architectural character and the town centre
is a delightful compendium of old shops, buses, markets
and hotels.
Its standout attraction is the octagonal Dalada Maligawa,
a temple which houses Sri Lanka 's most important religious
relic - the sacred tooth of Buddha. There are daily
ceremonies of homage to the Tooth Relic, each attracting
white-clad pilgrims carrying lotus blossoms and frangipani.
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Sigiriya
The enchanting rock fortress of Sigiriya is an impregnable
fortress, a monastic retreat, and a rock art gallery.
Built in 5th century AD to fend off a feared invasion,
it is situated atop a 200m (656ft) high rock, and at
the height of its glory must have been akin to a European
chateau plonked on top of Uluru. There are water gardens,
5th century rock paintings of well endowed damsels,
a 1000-year-old graffiti wall recording visitors impressions
of the pin-ups, a couple of enormous stone lion paws
and tremendous views.
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Nuwara
Eliya
Set in the heart of the tea country, it is ideal for
nature lovers who will revel in its wide, patna grass
covered plain which is the haunt of many wild yet harmless
animals. Once the favourite hill station of the British,
Nuwara Eliya still retains the vestiges of Empire: a
blend of Tudor and Georgian architecture, gabled roofs,
immaculate lawns and moss-covered gravestones. |
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Aukana
Aukana is the site of an impressive 43-ft/13-m statue
of Lord Buddha, which dates from the 5th century AD.
Aukana is generally seen in conjunction with Anuradhapura
. Seven mi/11 km west is a slightly smaller statue of
Buddha, chiseled at the same time as the statute at
Aukana, but not as delicately crafted. |
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Yala
Located at the southern tip of the island, the total
protected area covers 98,000 hectares. The park contains
elephants, wild boars, peacocks and other birds. Certain
areas are strict natural reserves. Yala west with its
scrub jungle, rock out crops, tanks and lagoons is open
to visitors. |
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Ratnapura
This is the place to go if you want to learn about gems.
Your guide will show you the entire process - from digging
in the gem pits to polishing and setting the stones.
There's an excellent gem museum in town, too. Ratnapura
produces sapphires, rubies, cat's eye, topaz, amethyst,
garnet and several other glittering precious stones.
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Polonnaruwa
An ancient city, Polonnaruwa features 12th-century stone
sculptures, an old irrigation system with huge tanks,
and the Gal Vihara: three enormous Buddha figures -
one reclining (it's 44 ft/13 m long), one standing and
one sitting. The statues, located in a cluster along
a dirt road, are revered as being among the most sacred
monuments in Sri Lanka . There are also palace ruins
and great bas-reliefs and friezes (especially the elephants
carved around the Audience Hall). |
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Dambulla
At Dambulla you can visit a series of caves on a mountain
ledge. These contain frescoes showing some of Buddha's
epic struggles against evil. Like Sigiriya, Dambulla
too is a vast isolated rock mass and it was here that
King Valagam Bahu took refuge during the 1 st century
BC. |
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Trincomalee
Trincomalee lies at the union of river and sea, forming
one of the loveliest harbours in the world. It also
boasts a 35-mi/55-km white beach with coves, bays, islets
and hot springs . The Koneswaram Hindu temple sits on
a hill 400 ft/122 m above the ocean. Also on higher
ground is a 16th-century Dutch fort. It's possible to
dive among wrecks ranging from World War II naval casualties
to old galleons. |
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Hikkaduwa
This popular resort offers spectacular beaches, good
waves and a wide range of inexpensive hotels and restaurants.
The reefs just offshore attract divers and snorkellers,
but the coral is beat up and the glass-bottomed boats
are too numerous for our taste. |
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Unawatuna
West coast of Sri Lanka, a popular tourist destination
is a also a breeding ground for turtles. Legend say
that Unwatuna was created from a piece of earth from
Himalaya, that had fallen from Hanuman in the Ramayanaya
epic.
Rated as one of the twelve best beaches in the world
, Unawatuna was known for its picturesque beach along
a sheltered bay more suitable for swimming and snorkelling
than most of the other beach destinations in Sri Lanka. |
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Wilpattu
Occupying about a 110km's (425 sq mile) tract of shore
line and jungle on the North west coast, around 180km
(110 miles) north of Colombo and 50km (30 miles) west
of Anuradhapura , Wilpattu is Sri Lanka's largest national
park and a refuge for Elephants, Leopards and sloth
bears.
Wilpattu could become an eco tourism destination to
rival Ruhuna in the south, with huge expanses of forest
and an array of rare mammal and bird species. |
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Negombo
Negombo is a charismatic fishing town north of Colombo,
located a mere 6 km from the international airport .
Set amidst lush groves of coconut palms, it breathes
the spirit of the sea. Negombo is a gourmet's paradise
with sea food aplenty. Old - world fishing craft, like
the outrigger canoe and the catamaran, bring seer, skip
jack, herring, mullet and amber jack, while lobster
and prawn are caught in the lagoon. |
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Hortain
Plains
Traditionally called as Maha-Eliya was founded by Sir
Robert Hortain , the British Governor in 1831-37 . Established
as a nature reserve in 1969 and a National Park in 1988.
Hortain Plains is situated in the hills of Sri Lanka
, which is approximately 32 Km from Nuwara-Eliya . At
a height of approx. 2300 meters, the land area it covers
is 3159 hectares. The popular "Word's End"
with drop of 275 meters and the big "World's End"
with a drop of 885 meters is situated at Hortain Plains.
With average temperature of 15ºc - 22ºc. It
is home for Samber and endemic birds of Sri Lanka .
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Sinharaja
Rain Forest
Sinharaja Forest , one of the least disturbed rain forests
in Sri Lanka . The forest covers an extent of approx.
11187 hectares. The forest is about 21 Km in length
and 4 Km in width. This forest reserve ranges from 200m
to 1300m in height, located somewhat Southwest in the
low land wet zone. The whole forest comes under the
Galle , Matara and Rathnapura districts. Sinharaja was
declared as a World Heritage Site in 1989 . The unique
features it inherits are 66% of the endemic trees, 95%
of endemic birds and almost 50% of the mammals and butterflies
live in the forest reserve. |
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Bentota
Just 60 kilometres south of Colombo, signals the start
of a beach stretch of 130 kilometres with magnificent
resort hotels. The sea is generally suitable for bathing
during November to April. |
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Udawalawe
Udawalawe National Park was established in 1972 with
an area of 30,800 hectares. This park is a home for
herds of Elephants . There are approximately between
300-400 Elephants living in the park. Besides Elephants
you could also come across Deer, Samber, Hornbills,
Peafowl and various other mammals and birds. |
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