Not many foreign tourists know Kuruwita, a small town just north of Ratnapura. To be honest, Kuruwita is not a must-see for first-time visitors of Sri Lanka. However, if you are travelling via Ratnapura, Kuruwita is well worth a stop. There are two very different major attractions in the immediate surroundings. To the southwest of the town is a typical Buddhist temple known  as Delgamuwa Raja Maha Viharaya. It is special in one respect: It was once Sri Lanka’s Tooth Temple, more precisely, it was the hiding place of the nation’s most sacred object of veneration when the Tooth Temple of the capital Kotte was threatened to be plundered by the Portuguese and when Kandy was bot yet a new Sinhalese capital with a new Tooth Temple.

Attraction number one of Kuruwita is a natural one. The waterfalls of Bopath Ella are to the northwest of Kuruwita town. This is one of the most enchanting waterfalls in Sri Lanka, attracting many visitors particularly in the weekends, most of them not foreigners but Sri Lankans from Colombo. Be aware, swimming below the waterfalls can be dangerous due to sudden floods after heavy rainfall. Deadly incidents occured.

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Tantirimale is one of Sri Lanka’s destinations which can be highly recommended for those who are interested in visiting some less crowded places of interest. Tantirimale is a pilgrimage site for Budddhist people in the first place. Some independent travellers also know this place, but busloads of foreigners are rare. Due to ist location about 40 km away from Anuradhapura and far away from major tourist routes, Tantirimale is usually not included in standard itineraries of international companies, although it’s an important historical site. The rock-hewn reclining Buddha of Tantirimale is second in size and quality only to the well-known Gal Vihara Buddha in Polonnaruwa. A small seated Buddha carved from the rock surface in Tantirimale is also from the Polonnaruwa period. One amazing feature of Tantirimale is the surviving ancient Bo-tree situated atop a rock. There is a a rare attraction that can be seen only half a kilometre further east, namely prehistoric cave paintings from aboriginal people. All in all, the archaeological site of Tantirimale is a typical ancient monastery of Sri Lanka placed in an enchanting landscape near Wilpattu National Park. The Buddhist temple also known as Thanthirimale Raja Maha Viharaya has a new white stupa and colourful image house and a small museum, too. The site had been inhabited by reclusive monks since the 3rd century BC and was reestablished in the second decade after then Ceylon‘s independence.


Tantirimale is believed to have been the setting of Sri Lanka’s most famous love story, the forbidden romance of Prince Saliya and Ashokamala. Read more about it on our Tantirimale main page...

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Wrapped in the tranquility of the Tangamalai bird sanctuary near Haputale, Adisham Hall is a former colonial country house built in 1931, which was coverted into a Benedictine monastery in 1961. The British planter and trader Sir Thomas Villiers named his country mansion after his birthplace, which was the village of Adisham in Kent, England. For his dream home in the typical English Tudor style, he  purchased 2.5 hectared of land in the lonesome and peaceful Golden Hills („Tangamalai“) With a breathtakingly panoramic view of the Uva bassin in the southeastern part of Sri Lanka’s highlands. Sir Thomas Villiers spared no expense to embellish his country home with antiquities and luxurious furniture. Adisham Hall soon became a meeting place of the colonial upper class Ceylon.

The English garden and parts of the country house are open to the public on Sundays and Poya Days. The interior of the sitting room and library are well preserved. The colonial stairwell and the rooms inhabited by the monks can not be visited. A chip of a bone of St. Sylvester is enshrined in the altar of the chapel of the St. Benedict Monastery Adisham.

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The waterfall known as Kirindi Ella is the main attraction of Pelmadulla, which is 20 km to the west of Ratnapura. Kirindi Ella is picturesquely situated in a forest near a tea plantation 6.5 km and can be seen from a viewing platform after paying a small entry fee. At the base of the 116 m tall waterfall, the water plunges into a deep pool named Diyagathwala, which can be reached via a flight of stone steps. It is believed that a treasure trove is hidden at the bottom of the pool.

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Asked what’s the most attractive destination in Sri Lanka’s Western Province, we do not hesitate to recommend a visit of Pilikuththuwa. The reason is the highly attractive blend of ancient cave temples in an undisturbed living forest monastery in an enchanting natural setting. Pilikuththuwa is easy to reach from Colombo or Negombo or Pinnawela, but almost unknown to foreign travellers, although it’s a quite large heritage site with lots of fascinating places such as jungle paths, vantage points, caves with historical inscriptions, Kandyan sculptures and paintings, stupas, monks’ cells, Hindu shrines, wooden bridge, boulder garden etc.

Find a detailed description of Pilikuththuwa here…

Digavapi is the largest ancient stupa in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province. It is mentioned in the Mahavamsa as one of the places visited by the Buddha during his third and last stay on the island and thereby the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the eastern plains of Sri Lanka. The stupa is said to have been built on the spot where he sat down in meditation. It was enlarged in the course of the centuries. The foundation of the Digavapi Chetiya is attributed to Saddhatissa (137-119 BC), the younger brother and successor of Dutthagamani, the national hero of the Sinhalese people. In 1986, a gold leaf inscription 14 was excavated, which has been dated to the end of the second century AD.

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The Bogoda Bridge near Badulla was built in the 16th or 17th century in the early Kandy period. It is the oldest surviving wooden bridge in Sri Lanka and the most beautiful specimen. The structure is standing on a single pier which is from a tree trunk of 11 metres height. All parts of 15 m long Bogoda Bridge exept from the roof tiles were constructed from wood, even fixing materials such as nails are wooden. Durable woods such as Kumbuk and Jackfruit logs were used for the construction and precious timber such as Ceylon Ebony for the decorations. The construction also served as an Ambalama, a traditional shelter for travellers and pilgirms. The wooden fences of the bridge are embellished by tytraditional Sinhalese decorations. Bogoda Bridge crossing the Gallanda Oya was important for traders and pilgrims travelling from Kandy to Badulla, which were then the two most important cities of the Sinhalese controlled territory in Sri Lanka.

At the main road A3 in Madampe near Halavata (Chilaw) is a very colourful huge temple built by a local toddy entrepeneur and land owner. The temple known as Replica of Kataragama dedicated to Lord Murugan was opened in January 2012.

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Beruwela is remarkable for two reasons. It’s the most popular beach destination in Sri Lanka’s Western Province, located at its southern boundary. Neighbouring Bentota belongs to the Southern Province. The agglomeration of Beruwela, Aluthgama and Bentota offers the widest range of accommodation available in coastal towns of Sri Lanka.

Secondly, Beruwela offers a variety of tourist attractions, such as a light house island, the fishing harbour, the huge Buddha statue of Kande Viharaya or the charming and artistic Brief Garden. Beruwela is a traditional centre of Sri Lanka’s Muslim population. Many of the so-called Sri Lankan Moors are gem merchants, living in the northern area of “China Fort and Maradana” close to the harbour. The Kecheemalai mosque on a rocky peninsula protecting and overlooking the harbour was the first place in Sri Lanka that served as a Muslum place of worship. The highly benerated mosque, originally established by Somalian traders, is now redesigned in a historicising or colonial style.

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