Shankari Devi Shankti Peetan Tour (Based on ) 6N 7D

Day Airport / / Habarana - (Approximate travel time 4-5 hours)

Based on morning arrival flights.

1 Welcome at Airport by Helanka Vacations Representative and transfer to Habarana via Chilaw.

En route visit the 02 temple in Chilaw.

MUNNESWARAM TEMPLE - It is believed that Munneswaram predates the Ramayana and a temple dedicated to Lord was located here. Munneswaram means the first temple for Shiva (Munnu + Easwaran). A Shiva was already here when Lord visited this place. Lord Rama after his victorious battle left for with Sita in one of King ’s Vimanas.

MANAVARI TEMPLE - The first lingam was installed at Manavari near the banks of the Deduru Oya (river). The Manavari Temple in Chilaw, is the place where first lingam installed and prayed by Rama, hence to date this lingam is called as Ramalinga Shivan. Rameshwaram is the only other lingam in the world named after Lord Rama.

Arrive and check in to Hotel in Habarana. Rest of the day at leisure.

Habarana - Situated towards the center of the island of Sri , northeast of Dambulla, Habarana is the gateway to many of the region’s top attractions. The central highlight of the town is the beautiful Habarana Lake, around which bananas grow and elephants wander and bathe. Wildlife enthusiasts flock to the Minneriya and Kaudulla National Parks which are well populated with elephants and other wildlife. For those looking to take in some Sri Lankan culture, the sacred city of Anuradhapura, cave temples in Dambulla, and the UNESCO world heritage site of the Rock Fortress are all accessible from Habarana. A short 30 minute drive will take visitors to the magnificent Golden Buddha in Dambulla. The temple is

built inside a hill, and contains five rooms filled with countless exquisite Buddha statues.

Overnight at the hotel.

Habarana / / Habarana - (Approximate travel time 4-5 hours) Day After breakfast proceed to Trincomalee and visit Shankari Devi Shakthi Peetam & Triru Koneshwaram Temples, visit Luxmi Narayana Temple, Ravana Hot water wells, 2 Enjoy in the Nilaveli beach, and travel back to Habarana.

THIRUKONESHVARAM TEMPLE - Thiru Koneswaram is a wonderful temple located on

a rock promontory in Trincomalee. It was built by Rishi on the instructions of

Lord Shiva who was impressed by the devotion of King Ravana. This place is unique

in this respect because the Lord built a temple for his devotee as a reward for his

devotion. Lord Rama is believed to have offered his prayers here too, in order to get

rid of the malediction of killing Ravana who was a Brahmin, meaning Brahmahasthi

Dosham. The famous temple built here during the glorious era of the Tamil Pallava

and Chola and Pandya empires, was destroyed by bigoted Portuguese Christians

between 1622 and 1624.

SHANKARI DEVI SHAKTHI PITHAM - Adjacent to Trincomalee's famous Koneswaram

temple there is another shrine; it is small in size but of some significance for Hindu

pilgrims. This Shankari Devi temple was reconstructed in a new place. The original

Shankari Devi temple said to be built by Ravana, was the first in the list of

AshtaDasha (18) Shakti Pitas written down by Adi Shankara. But its whole cliff was

destroyed by Portuguese cannon balls. Only a pillar for commemoration is placed

on that spot now. And it is believed that the original idol of the Goddess has been

preserved and replaced, being venerated now in this nearby new Shankari Devi

temple.

RAVANA HOT WATER WELLS - the hot wells of Kanniyai or Kanniya are close to the

main road to Anuradhapura, in Trincomalee town. Pilgrims believe in the healing

powers of the warm water. There are many different versions of the myth on how

these curative hot water wells came into existence. One legend about Kanniya's

origin has it, that this is the place where King Ravana carried out the last rites for his

mother. When he was unable to find water to duly perform the rites, he in anger

pierced his Trishula into the ground seven times. Water started gushing out

immediately. The very first hot water cooled down to the present degree when

Ravana's anger calmed down. The temperature of the water is different in all the 07

springs.

Return to the hotel. Overnight stay in Habarana.

Day Habarana / Sigiriya / Dambulla / Kandy - (Approx travel time 3 - 4 hours)

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LANKAPURA RAMAYANA AND SIGIRIYA

3 After breakfast proceed to Sigiriya, in the rock garden area of Sigiriya there is a Cobra Hooded Cave. It is a rock-shelter surmounted by a boulder in the form of a cobra hood. It is believed as one of many hideouts of Sita on Lankan soil after

captivity by Ravana. An inscription mentioning a Naguliya Lena is said to be a proof for it as Naguliya is identified with Sita as allegedly both names can have the same meaning "born from a furrow", because "Naguliya" could be derived from the words

for snakes and for plough. In the Ramayana Trail legend, even the ancient rock fortress Sigiriya itself is sometimes claimed to have been a palace of Ravana.

DAMBULLA BUDDHA CAVE TEMPLE

Dambulla cave temple also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla, is a World Heritage Site (1991) in , situated in the central part of the country. It is the

largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock towers 160 m over the surrounding plains. There are more than 80 documented caves in the surrounding area. Major attractions are spread over five caves, which contain

statues and paintings. These paintings and statues are related to Gautama Buddha and his life. There are a total of 153 Buddha statues, three statues of Sri Lankan kings and four statues of Gods and Goddesses. The latter include and the

Ganesha. The murals cover an area of 2,100 square meters (23,000 sq. Ft.). Depictions on the walls of the caves include the temptation by the demon Mara and Buddha's first sermon.

Arrive and check in to Hotel in Kandy.

Kandy - The second major city in Sri Lanka (the other being ) lies in the midst of the Kandy Plateau, an area of tropical tea plantations. A prominent feature is Kandy Lake, to the north of which lies the golden-roofed Temple of The

Tooth, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and important place for Buddhist worship, as it is said to house a tooth relic of Buddha. Other fascinating places include the Ceylon Tea Museum, the Buddhist Publication Society, the Kandyan Art Association

and Cultural Centre, where crafts people can be seen at work, and the Kandy Muslim Hotel, which offers the finest spiced curries served with naan or roti’s.

Overnight stay in Kandy.

Kandy / Ramboda / - (Approximate travel time - 2-3 hours) Day After breakfast visit the Sacred Tooth Relic Temple and Attend a Pooja Ceremony in the most Holy Buddhist Temple in the World, sight-seen tour then proceeds to 4 Nuwara-Eliya. En-route visiting Tea Plantation/factory, Sri Bhakta Hanumaji Temple, Gayathri Amman Temple.

TEMPLE OF TOOTH RELIC - The Tooth Relic Temple is the most significant Buddhist holy place in Sri Lanka, venerated by Buddhists from all over the world including Southeast Asia. There are four shrines for gods connected to the Buddha's Tooth Temple. These Devales, playing an important role in the processions of the Buddha's Tooth Temple, are mainly Sinhalese places of worship, whereas Tamil Hindu temples are called Kovils. But the Devales are closely connected to in many ways. The above mentioned world-famous procession called Kandy Perahara, originates in the Ratha Yatras held for the Hindu deities. The priests of the Kataragama Devale in the city centre are not Sinhalese Kapuralas, but Tamil Brahmins. Proceed to Nuwara Eliya.

SRI BHAKTA TEMPLE - The Sri Lankan branch of the Chinmaya mission, committed to promoting the Ramayana philosophy as well as Ramayana Trail pilgrimages, has built a temple with Hanuman as a presiding deity in Ramboda between Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya main road. There is a 5 meters tall granite statue of Rama's devote supporter Hanuman. He is believed to have started his search for Sita in the Baroda hills. Hanuman traditionally was not as popular among Sri Lankan Tamil devotees as he indeed in India, because he devastated parts of the island with his burning tail. But in recent times Hindu missionaries and local Tamil spiritual leaders began building shrines for worshipping Hanuman in Sri Lanka, too. The Tamil word for Ramboda, Rampadai, means "Rama's force", this is why Ramboda is believed to be the area where Rama collected his troops.

GAYATHREE AMMAN TEMPLE - Gayathri Pitam, also spelled as Gayathri Peedam, is within the Nuwara-Eliya town, the first and most significant temple built for Gayathri Amman in Sri Lanka. Gayathri being an aspect of Saraswati and the Universal Mother. The temple was founded by the Gayathri Siddhar Swami Murusegu. The Shiva Lingam for this Tamil temple was brought from the Holy River Narmada. Gayathri Pitam is said to be the place from where King Ravana's son Meghanath propitiated Lord Shiva with penance and worship and in turn was granted super natural powers by the mighty god.

Nuwara Eliya -Nuwara Eliya is a beautiful mountain station in Sri Lanka known for its incredible scenery and abundant tea plantations. Sometimes referred to as “Little England’, the city is well-kept and neat and features British-style red-brick walls, mock-Tudor half-timbering and a very English country club. The surrounding areas offer breathtaking views of valleys, meadows, mountains and greenery, and most importantly a wonderful break from the heat and humidity of the coast. Tea Estates, waterfalls, and mountains complete the picture. Visitors can take guided tours of the tea plantations, meander through the roses, take a picturesque walk to the ‘Lovers’ Leap’ waterfall, and meander through orchids and giant cypresses at the Hakgala Gardens. Other highlights include the Seetha Amman and Nuwara Eliya Buddhist Temples and the Galway's Land National Park.

Overnight stay in Nuwara Eliya.

Nuwara Eliya sites Day After breakfast visit Sita Amman Temple & Ashoka Vatica, Ravana Mountain Range and Haggala Garden (former Ravan”s pleasure Garden), Divurumpola (Sita 5 Devi Agni Tested Place).

SITA AMMAN TEMPLE & ASHOKA VANAM - Sita Amman Temple, located halfway between the highland village of Sita-Eliya and the Hakgala Botanical Gardens, has

become the most venerated of all Ramayana Trail sites in Sri Lanka, because it is believed to be the place where Sita lived most of the time of her captivity on the island of Lanka. After she refused to stay in Ravana's magnificent palace, she was

transferred to Ashok Vatika or Ashokavanam where she lived under Ashoka trees. It was here that Ravana's wife Mandodari visited her and that Hanuman met her for the first time, identifying himself with the ring (finger) of Rama. Sita is said to have

bathed in the nearby stream. There are remarkable holes in the rocks at the river bank believed to be footprints of Lord Hanuman.

HAKGALA MOUNTAIN RANGE

Ravana after abducting Sita, kept her hidden in a pleasure garden currently called as Hakgala and offered it to her. It is few kilometers away from the Sita Amman temple & Ashoka Vanam, Hakgala rock is one of the five pieces of the Himalaya

mountain, that fell down when hanuman carried it from Dronagiri to Lanka, (usually the Ramayana trail identifies only 5 other places as originations from these events) is a place where diversity elights and beauty enthralls.

Overnight stay in Nuwara Eliya.

Nuwara Eliya / Colombo – (Approximate travel time 5 - 6 hours) Day After breakfast proceed to Colombo. En route visit the Kelaniya Temple.

6 KELANIYA BUDDHIST TEMPLE & VIBEESHANA TEMPLE - Kelaniya in western province is a Buddhist sanctuary because it was believed to have been visited by Buddha himself. Within the temple premises there is a Hindu shrine too. It is dedicated to Lord Vibhishana who was the younger brother of Ravana but during the legendary war

of Rama-Rawana a supporter of Lord Rama, because he disapproved of Ravana's abduction of Sita. After Ravana's death Rama appointed Vibhishana as the new King of Lanka. Vibhishana is venerated by Sinhalese Buddhists as a God. They

believe him to be one of the main protectors of the island, especially in its western territories.

Arrive and check in to Hotel in Colombo.

Colombo

Sri Lanka’s seaside metropolis of Colombo offers a laid-back atmosphere coupled with a mixture of crumbling colonial buildings and glinting skyscrapers. Stroll to Pettah, Colombo’s main market and be dazzled by the variety of gems, the brightly

colored fruit and vegetable stalls and the plethora of ayurvedic medicines on offer. Sample some of the city’s fine fare, from curries to crabs, in any one of the beachfront bistros or inner city dining rooms. Nature lovers should head to Galle

Face Green, a grassy promenade along the Indian Ocean for a stroll or take a scenic train ride to Mount Lavinia Beach.

Afternoon visit the Panchamuga Anjaneyar Temple.

PANCHAMUGA ANJANEYAR TEMPLE - Hanuman is often called Anjaneyar by , as his mother's name is Anjan. This Kovil is the first Anjaneyar temple in Sri Lanka and dedicated to Lord Hanuman in his Panchamuga form. Annually at the end of December or in the beginning of January the feast is celebrated. It is one of the most popular processions in Colombo. Visitors are advised to wash hands and feet before entering the temple and not to cross hands inside the temple.

Return & overnight stay in Colombo.

Colombo / Airport - (Approximate travel time 1 hour) Day After breakfast you are free for Shopping in Colombo. Return back to Hotel, relax for few hours, and thereafter proceed to Airport in time for your departure flight. 7 Departure flight / hotel leaving time to be updated.

END OF TOUR…

Rates on request (based on 3* / 4* hotels)

Included

 06 nights’ accommodation on Bed and breakfast basis.  Transport in an air conditioned Car/Micro Van with an English speaking Chauffeur. (Above 6pax – English Speaking National Guide).  Arrival & Departure transfers.  Entrance fees for the sites as per the program.

 Water bottle on Arrival.

 All applicable taxes (Subject to change without any prior notice).

Excluded

 Lunch / dinner during the tour.  Early check in & late check out not included.  Tips and Porterage’s.  Other extra expenses of personal nature.  Camera & Video permits (for tourist sites mentioned).

 All extra expenses at Hotels.

 Visa fee charges.

[email protected] + 94 71 3860154 [email protected] + 94 71 3182912 + 94 71 7087004