4 Day Tour To Kandy - Sigiriya - Anuradhapura - Wilpattu National Park

Itinerary

Day 1: Negombo - Kandy

Stop At: Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Sri Dalada Veediya, Kandy 20000 Sri Lanka
The Sacred Tooth of Lord Gautama Buddha is preserved in Kalinga, India.
The Kalinga king Guhasiva in the 4th century AD sends the tooth relic to Sri Lanka with Prince Danta and Princess Hemamala in order to prevent its possession by his enemies who made war.
The tooth relic is received by the then King Meghavanna in Anuradhapura and enshrined in a 3rd century holy edifice.
The tooth relic became a symbol of status denoting the right to ascend the throne, and later kings in the kingdoms of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Dambadeniya built temples for the relic close to the royal residences.
In the era of the Kotte Kingdom, the temple of the tooth was situated in the toyal city – Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte.
With the rise of the Kingdom of Kandy the Tooth of Lord Buddha was brought to the city, where it was housed in a two story building by the King Vimaladharmasuriya I. The building did not survive the ravages of time.
The tooth relic was taken into hiding during the Portugese Invasion in 1603. It was brought back to Kandy by King Rajasingha II almost half a century later, and rehoused in a building identical to the former building.
The current temple of the tooth was built by King Vira Parakrama Narendra Singha in the early 1700s. There was further construction on the moat and octagonal structure by the later King Sri Wickrama Rajasingha.
The Temple of the Tooth suffered damage and had to be repaired due to various civil wars in the late 20th century.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Kandy Lake, Centre of Kandy City, Kandy 20000 Sri Lanka
Kandy Lake, also known as Kiri Muhuda or the Sea of Milk, is an artificial lake in the heart of the hill city of Kandy, Sri Lanka, built in 1807 by King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe next to the Temple of the Tooth. Over the years, it was reduced in size. It is a protected lake, with fishing banned. There are many legends and folklore regarding the lake. One such is that the small island at its center was used by the king's helm for bathing and was connected to the palace by secret tunnel.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya Road, Peradeniya 20400 Sri Lanka
Botanical Gardens began their life as medieval medicinal gardens called ‘physic gardens’ in Europe. They were initially founded in the 16th century during Italian Renaissance period though some records prove the existence of small scale physic gardens as early as the 14th century.
Botany is the scientific study of plants. There are over 315,000 plant species around the world. The number continues to increase as new species continue to be discovered. Botanical gardens aim to collect, cultivate and display as many plants as possible, all labelled under their botanical names.
As the years have passed botanical gardens have taken a major place in culture and botany. They have been places of great advances in science and horticulture.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: National Museum Kandy, National Museum, Kandy, Central Province, Kandy 20000 Sri Lanka
The Kandy National Museum, lies next to the Sacred Temple of the Tooth and is housed in a section of the Royal Palace where the Kings concubines resided. Featuring exhibits from the Kandyan and post-British colonial period the artefacts within include royal relics, thrones, sceptres, ceremonial swords and a collection of coinage and jewellery. One particularly interesting exhibit is a copy of the 1815 agreement in which the then King of Kandy, Sri Wickrema Rajasingha ceded control of the Kingdom of Kandy to the British.
Duration: 1 minute

Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at 3 star Hotel in Kandy

Day 2: Kandy - Sigiriya

Stop At: Sigiriya The Ancient Rock Fortress, Main Road, Sigiriya 21120 Sri Lanka
Sigiriya is a one of the famous and most attractive place in Sri Lanka. Sigiriya means lion’s rock. Hight of the rock is around 200 meters. According to the history of Sri Lanka this rock used as a kingdom in Sri Lanka by king Kashyapa in 5th century. This rock is one of the UNESCO heritages in Sri Lanka. Sigiriya consists with all features in the kingdom such as flower gardens, lakes, caves etc. According to the Mahawansha (main Chronicle of Sri Lanka) king kashyapa built his kingdom in Sigiriya to protect from his brother king Mihidu. But legends says that king Kashyapa subsided during the war between his brother. Sigiriya provides evident for the great technologies in ancient Sri Lanka. Several ponds are located in the top of the Sigiriya. Water for this water gardens come from the underground pipes system. This system is also active in rain season.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Dambulla Cave Temple, Jaffna Hwy, Habarana 50150 Sri Lanka
The beautiful Royal Rock Temple complex sits about 160m above the road in the southern part of Dambulla. Five separate caves contain about 150 absolutely stunning Buddha statues and paintings, some of Sri Lanka's most important and evocative religious art. Buddha images were first created here over 2000 years ago, and over the centuries subsequent kings added to and embellished the cave art.
Dambulla is thought to have been a place of worship since the 1st century BC, when King Valagamba (also known as Vattagamani Abhaya), driven out of Anuradhapura, took refuge here. When he regained his throne, he had the interior of the caves carved into magnificent rock temples. Further paintings were made by later kings, including King Nissanka Malla, who had the caves’ interiors gilded, earning the place the name Ran Giri (Golden Rock).
This process of retouching original and creating new artwork continued into the 20th century. Remarkably, the overall impact is breathtakingly coherent.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at 3 star Hotel in Dambulla

Day 3: Sigiriya - Anuradhapura

Stop At: Sri Maha Boodhi Temple, Anuradhapura Sri Lanka
The Sacred Jaya Siri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura is reckoned as the oldest surviving historical tree in the world.
Jaya Siri Maha Bodhi was brought to Sri Lanka by the Theri Sangamitta, daughter of Emperor Asoka and was planted in the Mahameghavana Park in Anuradhapura in 249 BC by King Devanampiyatissa.
In Sri Lanka, there grows to this day, a tree, the oldest historical tree in the world which we know certainly to have been planted as a cutting from the Bodhi tree in the year 245 B.C.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Ruwanwelisaya, Abhayawewa Rd, Anuradhapura 50000 Sri Lanka
Built nearly 2500 years ago,accomplishing a prediction made by Lord Buddha himself, Ruwanweli Seya or the pagoda of golden dust, was one of the largest structures in the ancient world, standing 103 m tall with a circumference of 290 m.
Also known as the Mahathupa, Swarnamali Chaitya, Suvarnamali Mahaceti and Rathnamali Dagaba, the stupa is an engineering feast and a testimony to the engineering capabilities of the ancient Sri Lankans.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Isurumuniya Temple, At Royal Pleasure Gardens, Anuradhapura 50000 Sri Lanka
The vihara also has another stone slab which depicts a court scene which is thought to be the court of king Dutugemunu. Both these stone slabs are thought to be originated in the 8th century.
The vihara itself is built on a rock and the sacred tooth relic of Buddha has been originally kept here when it arrived to the island from India in the 312 AC.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Mihintale, Anuradhapura Sri Lanka
The sacred forest mountain Missaka Pabbatha where King Devanampiya Tissa met Arhat Mahinda Thera and his companions is situated in Mihintale. Prior to that the Lord Gautama Buddha had visited this place on his Third visit which was called as Missaka Pabbatha then. Being one of the sixteen places (Solosmasthana) the Lord Buddha had visited in Sri Lanka, this is regarded as one of the most important sacred places by the Buddhists in Sri Lanka.
There is abundance of ancient stone architecture surrounding the many Stupas, monastic complexes and other sacred places.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight 3 star Hotel at Anuradhapura

Day 4: Anuradhapura - Wilpattu National Park

Stop At: Wilpattu National Park, Sri Lanka
There are approximately 30 species of mammals in the Wilpattu National Park which include the Sri Lankan Elephant, Sri Lankan Leopard, Lankan Sloth Bear, Sri, Spotted Deer, Buffalo, Sambar and Mongoose.

Wilpattu sanctuary was decalred as a National Park in 1938, Wilpattu National Park is located on the west coast close to the historical city of Anuradhapura .The dry zone jungle is thickly grown. Wilpattu Natonal Park is home for many villus, or natural lakes which dot the landscape in the Wilpattu National Park. Except for two, These lakes contain rainwater, thus are important for resident and migratory water-birds.
The history of the park is also of interest with ancient ruins having been discovered in Wilpattu National Park. Queen named “Kuweni” is said to have lived in the place known as Kalli Villu. Historical evidence also shows the fact that Prince Saliya, son of King Dutugemunu lived in Wilpattu over 2,000 years ago.
Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.