Tourism Ceylon

5. Secrets of  Lakegala Lakegala is located in Kandy and about 175 kilometres away from the capital Colombo. This mountain is situated in ancient Meemure village which is a major attraction among visitors to Sri Lanka. Situated near the border between Kandy and Matale districts, there are several access points to Lakegala. The rock is about 1,310m high and in the Knuckles mountain range. Lakegala also served as a watchtower for King Ravana's army. Geographically, this is the highest part of the northern region of Ravana’s city. Ravana’s Kingdom is supposed to have extended even beyond the shores of Lanka covering a large part of Dhakshina Bharata including Dandakaranya Forest, over which his sister Suparnakha ruled. It is said that Ravana met Sita, the alluring Queen of Rama in this forest. Although it is hard to reach the peak of the mountain and the last 300m of the journey is difficult, adventurous people find it’s well worth the effort. On the top of Lakegala you will get a cle...

4. The Untold Story of Sky Palace Archeologists have found carved rock inscriptions and other evidence that the site functioned as a monastery from as early as the 3rd century BC. The cavities which naturally formed at the base of large boulders on the western and northern slopes surrounding the main rock were turned into habitable shelters by devotees and donated to monks as residences. The Cobra Hood Cave, so named because of its shape, bears an inscription from the 2nd century BC that appears to indicate that it was donated to a monk by a Chief Naguli. The tiered platforms of the Preaching Rock are believed to have been used by orating monks to extol the virtues of Buddhism. Sigiriya remained a monastery until King Kashyapa I decided to turn it into his capital in the 5th century AD. The monks and ascetics had no choice but to move to another temple built by the king on the neighbouring Pidurangala rock. Kashyapa completely changed the environment of Sigiriya, turning it into an ext...