7 Days / 6 Nights – Pilgrimage Package (Negombo, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Dambulla, Kandy, Colombo) DAY01 KUALA LUMPUR-SRI LANKA D Arrive in Sri Lanka, you will be met and transferred to Negombo. Rest of the evening relax at the hotel. Dinner & Overnight stay at a Hotel. DAY02 NEGOMBO B/L/D After breakfast leave for Anuradhapura. En route visit the Padeniya Temple and Yapahuwa. *Padeniya Temple – The original Temple at the site may dates to 3rd C.B.C.and according to legend Theraputhathbhya, a Paladin of Dutugemunu (161 - 137 B.C.) had became a Buddhist monk and lived here. Most of the present monuments dates to the early Kandy period. This Temple has wooden pillars in the shrine room with wood carvings of wrestlers, animals, female figures and various other designs similar to Embekke Devala is found here. The unique feature here is the raised plinth, filled with sand leveled for writing the letters of the script for teaching the students. Four large octagonal stone pillars from 04 ancient dagobas are found at the site. *Yapahuwa - a rock fortress that was a 13th century Sri Lankan capital. Unlike Sigiriya, the palace was not built at the summit of the 300-foot (91 metres) table-topped crag. Instead, to semi-circular walls and moats protected the royal palace complex, standing on a ledge at the top of striking staircase. The stone ruins of the steps, reminiscently Cambodian, are among the handsomest on the island. Friezes of jubilant musicians and dancers decorate the stairs and the porch above them. To reach Yapahuwa, travel south from Anuradhapura on Route B63. 40 miles (64 kilometres) to Maho, turn east and look for the massive rock to the south. Lunch, dinner & overnight stay at a Hotel. DAY03 ANURADHAPURA B/L/D Morning excursion to *Anuradhapura - is the most celebrated of Sri Lanka’s ancient ruined cities. The city’s greatest treasures are its dagabas constructed of small sun-dried bricks and hemispherical in shape. The most notable of these dagabas are the Ruvanveli, which dates back to the 2nd Century BC and is 300ft in diameter, the Jetawanarama is 370ft and the Thuparama, which enshrines the collarbone of the Buddha. The city’s most renowned relic is the sacred *Bo-Tree which is said to have grown from a branch of the tree under which the Buddha gained enlightenment. It was planted 2250 years ago and is the oldest historic tree in the world. Visit *Monuments At Anuradhapura - including the Old stone bridge, Western monasteries, Asokaramaya, Alms Hall at Abayagiriya, the Museum, Royal Palace (old) Temple of the Tooth Relic (Dalada Maligawa), Vessagiriya caves, Sacred Bo Tree (Sri Maha Bodhi) located in Mahavihara, Brazen Palace, Ruwanveliseya, Isurumuniya, Jetawanaramaya, Abhayagiriya (Fa Hsien Museum and Twin Ponds) and the Thuparama dagabas, Samadhi Buddha, Mirisavetiya Dagoba, Ratna Prasada (Gem Palace), Lovamahapaya, Lankaramaya. Afternoon visit *Mihintale including following places - Cradle of Buddhism - it was here that the Buddhist doctrine was first preached in Ceylon by the monk ‘Mahinda’- son of Asoka, Emperor of India, to King Devanampiyatissa more than 2000 years ago. Mihintale - ‘the hill of Mahinda’ is approached by a magnificent wide ancient stone stairway of 1,840 steps. Kantaka Chaitiya is one of the earliest religious monuments on the Island excavated in 1934. The 130 m (425 ft) base consists of three giant steps of dressed stone, characteristic of Sinhalese stupas. The dome above has worn out reaching a mere 12 m (40 ft) height. Dhatu Ghara is a relic house containing the Mihintale tablets that state the rules and regulations that governed the monks. Aradhana Gala is the Rock of Convocation where Arahat Mihindu Thera preached His first sermon. Mahaseya Dagaba - dating back to the 1st century BC, is the largest stupa in Mihintale. It enshrines a single hair relic of the Lord Buddha. Mihindu Seya is where a small golden reliquary was discovered along with a bronze statue. This resembles the earliest Indian stupas surmounted by an umbrella. Mihindu Guha - Arahat Mihindu Thera's bed was a smooth slab of stone. An enormous boulder towered above it and was its roof. This was where the Arahat reposed. Indikatuseya Dagaba (the stupa of the needle) - only the base of the stupa exists now, adorned only with broad bands of dressed stone. The final narrow, steep stairway leads to the Ambasthale dagoba, which was built on the spot where Mahinda stood, when he met the king. A path from this point leads to a higher dagoba, the Mahaseya dagoba thought to contain relics of Mahinda. Above the Ambastale Dagoba is a huge rock on which Mahinda waited for his meeting with the king. Lunch, dinner & overnight stay at a Hotel. TRAVELSIGHT (M) SDN BHD (50037-A) KKKP: 0025 1ST Floor, Wisma Robert Wong, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel: 03 2148 8255 Fax: 03 2142 0645 E-mail: [email protected] www.travelsight.com.my DAY04 POLONNARUWA-DAMBULLA B/L/D After breakfast proceed to Polonnaruwa en route visiting *Avukana Buddha - undoubtedly, the most magnificent undamaged ancient image in the island. This 5th Century statue, ascribed to King Dhatusena, is 42½ feet (13 metres) high, standing beneath a recently constructed brick shelter, a reconstruction of an image house said to have contained it 1,000 years ago. Avukana means “sun-eating”, and the image is best viewed when the sun rises. Afternoon excursion *Polonnaruwa - the Capital of Sri Lanka from 11th - 13th Century, contains some splendid and spectacular statues. Lankatileke, Tivanka and Thuparama are the most beautiful and largest shrine ruins and Tivanka has the best example of frescoes of the Polonnaruwa period. Rankot Vihara and Kiriwehera are well preserved large stupas, and Gal Vihare - a rock shrine, has four Buddha statues, two seated, one standing and one reclining and Parakrama Bahu statue are examples of Sinhalese stone carver. The Vata-da-ge is a unique creation of the Sri Lankan artists. Lunch at Hotel Sudu Araliya. Thereafter transferred to Dambulla. Visit *Dambulla Cave Temple is a vast isolated rock mass 500ft high and a mile around the base. Here is found the famous Rock Temple dating to the First Century BC. The caves of Dambulla sheltered the King Walagamba during his 14 years of exile from Anuradhapura. When he regained the throne he built the most magnificent of Rock Temples to be found on the Island. In the first Cave is a recumbent image of the Buddha 47ft long cut out of the Rock. There are images of deities associated with Buddhism all around. The frescoes on the ceiling date back to the 15th - 18th Centuries. In the Second Cave, the finest and the largest of all, there are 150 life-size statues of Gods from the Buddhist religion along with numerous images of the Buddha himself. The ceiling is also covered with frescoes, which depict great events in the life of the Buddha and landmarks in the history of the Sinhala people. Dinner & overnight stay at a Hotel. DAY05 SIGIRIYA-KANDY B/L/D After breakfast proceed to Sigiriya & climb *Sigiriya Rock Fortress is home to the 5th Century “Fortress in the Sky” which is perhaps the most fantastic single wonder of the Island. It is also known as Lion Rock because of the huge lion that used to stand at the entrance to the fortress. Within its triple-moated defence the huge rock rises almost to a sheer height of 500ft. On its summit are the foundations of what was once a great and sumptuous palace and gardens complete with swimming pool. On one of the stairways the only known ancient work of Sinhala secular painting survived in the form of Frescoes of life sized damsels in all the freshness and delicacy of their original colour. Sigiriya was never conquered by any of the invading forces that had such an affect on the Island of Sri Lanka. It was however ceded to the British during the colonial rule without force. Thereafter proceed to Kandy. Lunch Enroute at a Restaurant. En route Nalanda Gedige, the earliest known all-stone building in Sri Lanka (dating from the 8th Century) and one of the most remarkable examples of the amalgamation of Hindu and Buddhist architecture. Probably a Mahayanist shrine, its stone, now being reassembled, contain rare Tantric carvings of sexual theme. Also visit *Aluvihara temple is situated just north of Matale, about 18 miles from Kandy. Here, in 2nd century BC, the Buddhist scriptures (the Tipitaka) were first committed to writing, a chore that required the devout attention of about 500 senior monks 2,000 years ago. The rock caves were formed long ago by boulders tumbling down a nearby mountain. They contain various icons and frescoes. One cavern graphically depicts a sinners’ hell. On arrival to Kandy a brief tour of the city of Kandy, including Upper Lake Drive, Arts & Crafts Centre and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. *Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic - ever since 4th Century A.D, when the Buddha's Tooth was brought to Sri Lanka hidden from sacrilegious hands in an Orissan princess' hair, the Relic has grown in repute and holiness in Sri Lanka and throughout the Buddhist world. It is considered Sri Lanka's most prized possession. Evening witness a cultural performance featuring various dance types of Sri Lanka. Dinner and overnight stay at a Hotel. DAY06 KANDY-COLOMBO B/L/D After breakfast commence full tour of the city *Kandy - the hill capital, venue of the annual Perahera. The last stronghold of the Sinhala Kings was finally ceded to the British in 1815.