The most detailed report about Sri Lanka's rarely visited heritage attraction Thiriyai (Tiriyaya) can be found here...

We added a picture of the the mosque called Grand Masjid Sainthamaruthu to the blog article about Kalmunai that we published some days ago. It’s a typical street photo, taken from the car on the way to Dighavapi. This Grand Mosque is not far away from Kalmunai’s Sea Breeze Hotel. Travellers who have visited Kalmunai recently will easily see that this is an older photo, as the Grand Masjid Sainthamaruthu is nowadays painted in a more greenish tone.

Kalmunai, though not a district capital, is the largest town along Sri Lanka’s East Coast. Despite its long beaches, it has not yet become a major beach holiday destination. Bathing here is dangerous due to underwater currents. Kalmunai is Sri Lanka’s only town with mora than 100.000 inhabitants that is a Muslim-majority municipality. The Muslims who originally settles at the west coast of the island, were resetlled here within the territory of the Kandy kingdom, after they had been expelled by European colonial invaders.

There is a list of about 50 sites in Sri Lanka connected to the Ramayana epic. The major battle taking place on the island of Lanka is the namegiving event of the Yuddha-Kanda, the sixth book of the epic. Most of the Ramyana trail sites are newly established for pilgrims from India, usually because they bear a name including „Rama“ or „Sita“. However, there are some places in Sri Lanka which have a much older Hindu tradition and some of them are connected with characters from the Ramayana epic. For example, one of the traditional sites of Hindu worship is Munnesvaram near Chilaw, which is said to have been founded by Lord Rama, the hero of the Ramayana. Near Trincomalee is another traditional Ramayana site. The hot wells of Kanniya, also transliterated Kanniyai or Kennia, are believed to have been created by Ravana, the antagonist of Rama in the battle of Lanka. When his mother died, Ravana needed water for the burial rites, Ravana stuck the earth with his spear in seven spots, hot fountains sprang from them. Despite his crime of abducting Sita, the consort of Rama, Ravana is revered by some Hindusas a mighter healer. Not surprisingly, though, the hot wells of Kanniya are said to have healing power.

Passekudah, also known as Passikudah or Pasikuda, has developed into the number one beach holiday resort at the eastern coast in the recent decade. as Passekudah’s bay has the longest stretch of shallow reef coastline in Sri Lanka. Guests can walk kilometers into the sea. Unlike most other beaches in Sri Lanka, Passekudah is safe for children in particular. The name of the town is Tamil and translates to „green algae bay“. Passekudah is also home to a traditional Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Mariamman, who is popular with Tamils in India and Sri Lanka.

Thiriyai, also spelt Tiriyaya, is the most significant and most attractive ancient site in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province. Surprisingly, it has remained to be untouched by mass tourism, though located in only 30 km distance from the beloved beaches of Nilaveli near Trincomalee. Thiriyai's ruins of a Buddhist monastery are situated on and around a hillock not far from the ocean. The main attraction is a well-preserved circular temple on the very top of the hill. Apart from ist beauty, it’s remarkable for two reasons. Although it’s a so-called Vatadage, which is a type of building that is specific to Sinhalese monastic architecture, Tamils have played an important role in establishing this Buddhist site in the first millennium. Thoughs days many Tamil merchants and seafarers from Southern India were Buddhist and left traces of their presence all along the eastern coast of Sri Lanka. Furthermore, the guardian stones of the Vatadage of Thiriyai seems to be the earliest of this elaborate kind in Sri Lanka. This means, the less-known Thiriyai in the coastal area set an example for Buddhist art in the core zone of the island’s interior und cultural core region of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa.  Visiting Thiriyai undisturbed by the crowds but with oppotunities to meet Buddhist pilgrims from all regions of Sri Lanka is a delightful experience. The site is extraordinarily charming and can be called an insider tip for heritage travelers.      

Pothuvil, also spelt Pottuvil, is a coastal town in southeastern Sri Lanka. It is situated 4 km north of the popular tourist destination Arugam Bay and belongs to the tourist area of Arugam, which is popular with surfers. Two surfbreaks, Pothuvil Point and Whisky Point, are just north of the town. The only 5-star hotel of the Arugam region, Kottukal Beach House by Jetwing, is located close-by. Sri Lanka’s largest dune field stretches from Pothuvil Point to the Arugam Lagoon 5 km further south. It partly covers the ancient site known as Muhudu Maha Viharaya. An image house with 3 Buddhist statues in situ can still be seen close to the dunes.

Lahugala is both a national park and an archaeological site. The Lahugala-Kitulana National Park is one of the smallest wildlife sanctuaries in Sri Lanka. In fact, it is mainly a protected habitat for Asian elephants and an important part of the southeastern elephant corridor if the island nation. During the annual dry season, wild elephants migrate from Yala National Park to the large reservoir known as Senanayake Samudra in Gal Oya National Park. They cross the area of Lahugala-Kitulana National Park, as it provides some smaller freshwater lakes and areas with their favourite grass (Sacciolepis interrupta).

The Magul Maha Viharaya in Lahugala is an important excavation site of an ancient Buddhist monastery. The structures are mainly from the late Anuradhapura period (7th to 10th century AD). However, there is evidence of an earlier monastic use of this area and local legend has it that it was built in the 2nd century BC, viz for the marriage of the local king Kavantissa of Rohana to the Princess Viharamahadevi from Kelaniya in western Sri Lanka.

Trincomalee is of significance for Sri Lanka’s history because of its natural harbour. Today, it’s the capital of the Eastern Province. However, among Hindus from Sri Lanka and India, Trincomalee is most famous for ist Thirukoneshwaram Kovil, one of the major Shiva temples of Sri Lanka and South India. Destroyed by the Portuguese, the temple was newly built under British colonial rule. It attracts Hindu pilgrims from all over the world. Although the architecture is modern, the temple is also an imortant destination for heritage tourists, because it is spectacularly located on a kind of cape called Swami rock, a narrow promontory rising high above the sea.

Vilgam Rajamaha Viharaya, also known as Velgam Vehera, is a less-visitied historical Buddhist temple complex near Kanniya Hot wells to the northwest of Trincomalee. The Tamil name of Vilgam Rajamaha Viharaya is Natanar Kovil. Kovil is usually the name of a Hindu temple, which indicates that the Buddhist site is also venerated by Hindus.

Although Vilgam Rajamaha Viharaya was founded during the Anuradhapura period, the remnants of the structure that can be seen at the site today are mainly from the subsequent Chola period (11th century). This is remarkable insofar as the the Chola invaders from Southern India destroyed other Buddhist temples, but they renovated this one. More than that, they introduced a type of building that became predominant in the subsequent Polonnaruwa period, the large image house (Patimagara). Image houses had already been an integral part of Buddhist monasteries earlier on, but they now were increased and became the predominant building of the complex. In Vilgam Rajamaha Viharaya, the image house is not only much larger than ist predecessors from the Anuradhapura period, it also forms the single center of the entire complex. A Buddha statue is still in situ.  

Although Vilgam Rajamaha Viharaya is a sacred place to local Tamils, too, the archaeological site was attacked several times by the LTTE separatists during the civil war.