Kandy: the holy city of Sri Lanka

Kandy is an old and beautiful city of Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1592 as the residence of Sinhalese kings and was able to remain independent untill 1815 when British troops advanced. It's thanks to the Buddha's tooth that Kandy got the honourary title "holy". The tooth is kept in the temple nearly 300 years old and many Buddhist make a pilgrimage there.
Kandy is better to be explored on foot. Its narrow streets are lined with characterful old buildings and crowded with people. The Kandy Lake is one of the attractions of the city. It was created in 1807 by the last ruler of the kingdom. The island in the centre of the lake was used as the king's personal harem.

What to eat in Sri Lanka

Visiting another country, I always try the local cuisine, the more different dishes I can try the better. And Sri Lanka was no exception. Sri Lankan traditional main dish is "rice and curry": a huge portion of rice, fried in butter or cooked in coconut milk, with added raisins or green onions or nuts or turmeric - and a few dishes that make up the "curry". Curry is a savoury sauce of coconut milk in which meat, fish or vegetables are cooked. There are "dry" curries also and "dal" - soup made from lentils. Unlike the Indian version Sri Lankan dal is very thick, almost like porridge.

Following Sita's steps in Sri Lanka

I think every Hindu has read or has heard the Ramayana story. And even many non-Hindu people have a knowledge of the main characters and the plot of this ancient Indian epic. Sita, Rama's wife, was kidnapped by Ravana, the king of Lanka at those times. He brought her to his kingdom and she spent there some time before Rama came and freed her. So, in today's Sri Lanka you can visit the places connected with this story. First of all, Sita was brought to Lankapura, then the capital of Lanka, and was kept at Ravana's queen's palace there, but not for long. From there he moved her to Ashok Vatika, a beautiful garden in the mountains. This place is called Sita Eliya and is situated near Nuwara Eliya town.

Traditional dances of Sri Lanka

After reading online reviews about dance shows in Sri Lanka, I was in some doubt: some people found it very nice, others, on the contrary, did not like it at all. But since I like dance performances in principle, so I decided to go and see for myself. What can I say - my voice joins those who loved it.

Perahera, Sri Lankan street carnival

I think nowhere else religious procession reminds a street carnival so much as it does in Sri Lanka. This processions are called peraheras and are staged around the country at regular intervals during a year, dedicated to dirrerent gods and regional deities.Main purpose of any perahera is either to invoke their blessings or to give thanks to them for favours received. The most known and grand is the Dalada Perahera which is held in the streets of Kandy to honour the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha.
The season of peraheras in Sri Lanka is July, August, September. We visited the country in October so I didn't expect to see any perahera. But I was lucky: on the road to Galle we practically ran into one. That was amazing experience. First came the whip-crackers, who heralded the procession's arrival; next the flag-bearers - beautiful ladies in traditional dresses; then decorated elephants, drummers, musicians, acrobats and numerous dancers in different costumes.

Cute monkeys of Sri Lanka

I would call Sri Lanka "a land of wild monkeys" because you can see them practically anywhere: at the Buddhist monasteries, at the Hindu temples, at the parks, among the ancient ruins and simply on the road.

Sigiriya Lion Rock, the eighth wonder of the world

The place that most impressed me in Sri Lanka was Sigiriya, so called "Lion's Rock". Looking at this 180-meter high cliff to which 1200 steps lead one can't believe that once there was the royal residence up there. The idea of ​​building the palace in such an unusual place came to the king Kassapa, who lived in the 5th century. He was the eldest son of King Dhatusena and his wife, a commoner. Therefore, the throne was to inherit his other son, though younger, but from his wife of royal blood. That prospect did not satisfy Kassapa and he just decided to seize power by force. After doing so, he put his father in prison, but not for long - rumors that the former king had hidden treasures somewhere, did not give Kassapa rest.

The Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

The Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya is a necessary part of any visiti program to almost all travel agencies. And though we were traveling by ourselves but having heard / read a lot of enthusiastic reviews I also decided to visit this garden. And have no regrets. The garden is very large, beautiful, well-groomed, with many not previously seen by me trees and plants.

Buddhas of Sri Lanka

Buddha at the entrance to the Kandy museum

I had thought that Sri Lanka is a Hindu country, but no, it turned out that the majority of the population is Buddhists (69%). And even if you have not read the statistics on this subject beforehand, that Sri Lanka is a Buddhist country is not difficult to guess just after arriving there - impressive size sculpture of seated Buddha greets you at the airport, and numerous figures of smaller size, enclosed in glass boxes , flash with the regularity at roadsides and crossroads. I've never seen so many images of Buddha: in different sizes - from huge to small, in various poses - sitting, standing, reclining, with different facial expressions and hand positions, made of different materials.

Sri Lanka, the emerald in the ocean

Just a few days ago I came back from my trip to Sri Lanka. I must confess that the country simply charmed me, I hadn't expected to see such beauty. It is said that even Adam found this little island the place on earth that most resembled his lost Paradise . Lanka has made the same impression on me, this place looks just like one would imagine paradise. Palm trees, tropical jungles, pine groves, tea plantations - the whole island is buried in verdure of different shades. That's why comparison with an emerald came to my mind. Add to all this greenery blueness of waterfalls, rivers, lakes and goldness of the sandy beaches, turquoiseness of the ocean and sweetness of a variety of sweet fruits - well, isn't it paradise?