Arrival in Sri Lanka – Negombo

Upon arrival at the Colombo B andaranayake International Airport, you will be received warmly by our representative. You will thenn be escorted to your vehicle to begin your holid ay in Sri Lanka. Meet our tour representative who will escort you to the cab to drive to Negombo. Negombo is the well known fishing Village in Sri Lanka. It is a charming town set in the midst of green groves of cocon ut palms, warmth of golden sand and spirit of the sea. You will be able to taste the best of sea food to your hearts’’ desire. Apart from beaches and sea-food Negombo has a unique charm of its own with narrow streets, small boutiques and Catholic Churches dotting the landscape. we leave for the Munishwaram.

Munneswaram :
Visit Munneswaram- it is about 12 kil ometers from Chilaw town on Colombo Puttalam road. Lord Rama after his victorious battle left for Ayodhya in one of King Ravana's vimana's. He felt he w as being followed by bramhaasthi dosham as he had killed King Ravana who was a Brahmin. He stops the vima na at this juncture because he felt at this plac e the "Brahmaasthi Dosham" was not following hi m. He ascends from the vimana and asks God Shiva for a remedy. GodShiva blessed Lord Rama and advised installing and praying four lingams at Manavari, Thiru Koneshwaram, Thiru Ketheshwaram and Rameshwaram in India, as the only rem edy to get rid of the dosham.

Manavari:
Manavari is the first place where Lord Rama installed the Siva Lingam and prayed after the end of the war with King Ravana. This Lingam is called Ramalingam because it was made by Lord Rama. Apart from this, the Lingam in Rameshwaram is the only Lingam in the world which is named after Lord Rama Also visit Manavari is situated on the Chilaw - Puttalam road about 10 km from Chilaw.

Manavari is the first lingam ins talled and prayed by Lord Rama and till date this lingaJIl is called as Ramalinga Shivan. Rameshwaram is the only other lingam in the world named affter Lord Rama. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Negombo.

Negombo - Kandy

Enjoy a delicious breakfast at your hotel. Today you will visit Kandy. En r oute to Kandy visit Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. Pinnawala Elephant orphanage is one of the most important tourist attraction in Sri Lanka, the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage. Volunteers and caretakers provide shelterr and take care of orphaned, abandoned and injured elephants within the park. You can watch ca retakers feed, bathe and help these gentle giants. Yo u want walk with the herd to the nearby river to watch the elephants bathe and play around in water.

Kandy:Lying amidst the hills, Kandy is the last capital of the ancient kings of Sri Lanka. While being the second largest city in Sri Lanka it is also famous for its immense beauty and is named as one of the seven UNESCO declared World Her itage sites in the country. With its luxuriant p rairie, picturesque lake, longest river of the country and misty mountains, Kandy successfully mesmerizes every visitor unsurprisingly.

City Tour Kandy : While on your city tour you will visit one of the world heritage s as well as a sacred place for the Buddhists all over the world; namely the Temple of tooth Relic known to the Sri Lankans as Dalada Maligawa. Your next visit will be to the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens which is a paradise for nature lovers. This beautiful flower Eden is restored with over 300 different varieties of orchids, ot her spices, medicinal plants and Palm trees. Every year more than 1.2 million people are enchanted by the beauty of these 147 acre flower gardens. The real evidence of t he richness will be affirmed by your visit to th e Gem Museum. Sri Lanka produces the finest quality of gems in the world. Semi-precious gems, the sapphires of Sri Lanka, which are very exclusive and comes in shades of blue, red, green, white et c. In the evening you will witness a traditional cultural dance show. (Entrance fees to sites not include d)

Kandy – Ritigala – Kand

Enjoy a delicious breakfast at your hotel, today you will proceed to Ritigala on a day excursion.

Ritigala Tour:- Part of the Cult ural Triangle, Ritigala is one of the less visited but most legendary ancient sites of Sri Lanka. Situated 188 km north-east of Colombo in the North Central province, it is right between the ancient citi es of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa midwa y on the Habarana-Maradankadawala (A11) road. The Ritigala mountain range, spreads over a 3776-acre (1582 ha) land, a Strict Nature Reserve managed by the Department of Wildlife of Sri Lanka together with the Forest De partment.

Rich in chronicles woven together with history, legend and mythology, the source of the name Ritigala is arbitrary – “Gala” means rock in Sinhala, but “Riti” may have co me from the abundance of a variety of tall evergreen tree that can be seen in the forest: Riti (Antiaris toxicaria) with a trunk as straight as a pole. “Riti” is the Sinhala word for pole. On the other hand “Riti” may have originated from the Paliword “arittha”, meaning ‘safety’.Its proud history goes back to the time of the Ramayana. This leg endary mountain is believed to have been the la unching pad of Lord Hanuman’s (the monkey lord) gigantic leap from Sri Lanka to India, to tell his master King Rama, where his wife, Queen Sita w as being held by King Ravana of Lanka. Folkl ore claims that the evergreen nature of the Ritigala forest range is due to some medicinal plants dropping off from the chunk of Himalayan forest that Hanuman was carrying back to Rama's brother, Prince Lakshmana who had been wounded in comb at between Rama and Ravana .

At the office of the Department of Archaeology by the entrance to Ritigala, a guide accompanies you giving historical details of the site. According to our guide, Ritigala had been used as a place of refuge, from as far back as the 3rd century BC by Prince Pandukhabay a(377-307 BC), King Dutugemunu (161-137 BC) and King Jetthatissa in the seventh century. Ritigala had also been used as an ancient Buddhist monastery by hermit (Pamsukulika) monks who practised ex treme austerity. This fact is evidenced by the rock ins criptions discovered in some of the 70 odd natu ral caves at the site, dating back to the 1st century B C.

Kandy –Nuwara Eliya.

Enjoy a delicious breakfast at yo ur hotel. Today you will visit Nuwara Eliya. After breakfast you will travel d eeper into the tea-growing hills and have the option to wind through the mountains with magnificen t views. Witnessing the Ramboda Water Fall and A njaneear Temple in Pusselawa while driving through tea plantations.En-route to Nuwara Eliya you will v isit a Tea factory of the popular Sri Lankan Tea.

Anjaneyar temple :Visit Sri Baktha Hanuman Tem ple, Ramboda. The Ramboda area is believed to be an area where Rama's forces were gathered ag ainst Ravana. RamPadai means Rama's Force. The hills of Ramboda is also believed where Hanuma n was searching for Sitadevi. The Chinmaya mission of Sri Lanka has built an Anjaneyar temple with Hanuman as the presiding deity. This temple is called Sri Baktha Hanuman temple and the image of lord Hanuman here is 16 Feet tall.

Mani kattuther : Visit Mani Kattuther- This is a rock in the Labukalle estate. Lord Hanuman met Sitadevi and on his way to announce this happy in formation to Lord Rama, rested on this hill top. The hill where Lord Hanuman is believed to have rested after meeting Sitadevi is known as Mani kattu ther. Today an open temple with statues of Lord Rama , Sitadevi, Lakshmana and Lord hanuman stands on top of it. Locals visit the temple often

Tea Factory : Visit a Tea Plantation and a Tea Factory. Sri Lanka being famous for its "Ceylon Tea" hasadded cheer to many the world over for mo re than a century. Arrive in Nuwara Eliya to be greeted by the fresh wintry atmosphere, the cottage typebungalows and the colonial air. (Nuwara Eliya is also known as "Little England") Nuwara Eliya City Tour : Drive through the little town of Nuwara Eliya observing the well-maintained buildings of colonial Architecture. Visit the busy mar ket where the tea plantation workers rush in and out with their days provisions. Visit the lake Gregor y built for generating power during the British Co lonial age but now a feature that adds beauty to the city. Dinner & Overnight stay at a Hotel in Nuwar a eliya.

Nuwara Eliya – Katara gama.

After breakfast, check out form Hotel a nd leave for Kataragama. Stop over at Hakgala to visit Jaw Roc k - where the final battle between the Rama and Ravana took place and visit the Ravana Falls. Also visit the Sita Eliya K ovil, located near the Hakgala Gardens, the stream that ru ns from the hill, is said to have catered to the needs of Sita Devi during her stay at Ashoka Vatika. Now there stand is a Te mple erected in honor of Lord Rama, Sita Devi, Luxshmana and H anuman by the side of this stream. Enjoy lunch at local restaurant. After lunch continue on route to Kataragama. Check in to hotel and after short rest visit the kovils and taking part in the Pooja at Kataragama. Kataragama is the location where Rama met Sita after her release from captivity. It is from Kataragama that Rama, Sita & Lakshm an returned to India in a Chariot lent to them by Indra. Dinner & Overnight stay at your hotel in Kataragama.

Kataragama – Colom bo.

Enjoy a delicious breakfast at your hotel. Today you will visit Colombo. Colombo is the largest city a nd commercial capital of Sri Lanka. Located on the west coas t, it is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern and c olonial impressions. Colombo has wildly varying architecture that span centuries and depict various styles. Many col onial buildings influenced by the Portuguese, Dutch and British exist alongside structures built in Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Indian and Contemporary architectural styles. No other pl ace is this more evident in the heart of the city the Fort area. Colombo also boasts many shopping malls and department stores that offer brand name clothing at highly discounted prices. Therefore, it has be come an important shopping destination among tou rists.

City Tour Colombo : While on your city tour in Colombo you may visit famous p laces including Galle Face Green, the Viharamahade vi Park, National Museum, Twin World Trade Center towers, Old Parliament Building, Fort district, In dependence Hall at Independence Square, and promine nt Buddhist, Hindu, Islam and Christian places of worship. (Entrance fees to sites not included). For shopping, you may visit Odel, House of Fashion, Beverly Street, Ma jestic City, Noritake,etc.

Visit Panchamuga Anjaneyar Temple This is the first Anjaneyar Temple in Sri Lanka and also the only Panchamuga (fiv e faced) Anjaneyar Temple in Sri Lanka. It's the only temple in the world to have a chariot for Anjaneyar. The chariot festival is held annually end Dec / beginning of January. Hanuman's mother is Anjan. Ha numan is known as Anjan +Aiyar = Anjaneyarin South India (Hanuman in North India). Dinner at outside Indian Restaurant