Shankari Devi Shankti Peetan Tour (Based on Ramayana) 6N 7D
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Shankari Devi Shankti Peetan Tour (Based on Ramayana) 6N 7D Day Airport / Chilaw / 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 Shiva was located here. Munneswaram means the first temple for Shiva (Munnu + Easwaran). A Shiva Lingam was already here when Lord Rama visited this place. Lord Rama after his victorious battle left for Ayodhya with Sita in one of King Ravana’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 Lanka, 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 Sigiriya 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 / Trincomalee / 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 Agastya 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 Sri Lanka, 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 Vishnu 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 Colombo) 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 / Nuwara Eliya - (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 Hinduism 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 HANUMAN 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.