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Tissamaharama alias Tissa alias Mahagama

1/1/2020

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restored stone pillar on the platform of the Sandagiri stupa in Tissamaharama
For most Sri Lanka travellers Tissamaharama is the perfect starting point for safaris in the surrounding national parks of Yala and Bundala and Lunugamvehera, some also enjoy birdwatching in the close-by Wirawila sanctionary. But Tissa - as its name is commonly shortened - is also an attraction in itself. Tissamaharama is the ancient Mahagama, which was the capital of the southern principality known as Rohana in the Pali chronicles. It was the hometown of the Sinhalese national hero Dutugemunu (Dutthagamani in Pali). Due to its historical significance, Tissamaharama alias Mahagama is sometimes called the "Anuradhapura of the south". Four major dagobas survive from the early centuries of Buddhism on the island. The best restored one - from a scientifical point of view - is called Sandagiri Dagoba. A small archaeological museum is attached to it. Two other dagobas are much larger, actually the largest of the entire Southern Province of Sri Lanka. However, the Tissa and Yattala stupas are restored as white domes in a more modern style.
Sandagiri stupa in Tissamaharama alias Mahanaga in southern Sri Lanka
Sandagiri stupa in Tissamaharama
model of an ancient stupa in Tissamaharama in Sri Lanka
ancient stone troughs in Tissamaharama alias Tissa alias Mahanaga
Sandagiri archaeological site of Tissamaharama alias Mahanaga
finial found in the Sandagiri complex in ancient Mahagama alias Tissamaharama
The photos shown above are taken in the complex of the Sandagiri Dagoba (stupa) of the ancient city of Mahagama, now known as Tissamaharama alias Tissa. This is only one of 4 archaeological sites in Tissa. To learn more about the history of Tissa and its places of interest for heritage round tours, please click here... 
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Sri Lanka's moonstone mine in Meetiyagoda

12/31/2019

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Sri Lanka's moonstone mine in Meetiyagoda near Hikkaduwa
shaft of the Meetiyagoda moonstone mine near Hikkaduwa
The Meetiyagoda moonstone mine is situated in the hinterland of Sri Lanka's southwestern beach resorts Hikkaduwa and Ambalangoda. A visit is also easily managable as a half-day excursion from other coastal towns between Galle in the south and Bentota or Beruwela in the north. Actually, trips to Meetiyagoda, also combined with otherr nearby destinations such as Madhu Ganga wetlands are quite popular with holiday makers who spend some days or weeks in beach resorts of this region.
shaft of Sri Lanka's moonstone mine in Meetiyagoda
Moonstones found in Meetiyagoda in Sri Lanka
Guided tours in Meetiyagoda include a short walk to the shaft of the mine, where you can also study the filtering process, and then to the workshop and showrooms. You can study the filtering. The promotion slogan "the world's only moonstone mine" is a little bit misleading. Moonstones are found on all continents. The classic finding place in ancient Europe was the area of St. Gotthard in Switzerland. Today, Europe's richest moonstone mines are in Poland and Scandinavia. Most moonstones are from Mynamar and India. But Sri Lanka's moonstone - mostly from Meetiyagoda - have a reputation of being among the finest, although the quality of the finds has been decreasing for several years. Myanmar's and Sri Lanka's moonstones are those of the highest value due to their uniquely intense blue sheen. But the blue-shining moonstones have become even rarer in Myanmar than in Sri Lanka in recent decades. This is why claiming to be the world's only moonstone mine has some justification, as Meetiyagoda is the only remaining mine for moonstones with the highly attractive blue sheen.
moonstones from Sri Lanka's Southern Province
workshop of Meetiyagoda Moonstones in Sri Lanka
More about Meetiyagoda...
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Rambha Viharaya near Embilipitiya

12/13/2019

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a less-kown large excavation site in the Deep South of Sri Lanka - not far from Tangalle
image house with statue in situ in the Rambha Viharaya
Though it is situated at the A18 main road, which is connecting the southern beach resorts such as Tangalle and Kirinda with the "elephant national park" Udawalawe and the "gem city" Ratnapura, the Rambha Viharaya (also transcribed "Ramba Vihara") is rarely visited by foreign travellers. To be honest, this archaeological site is not as amazing as the nearby rock and cave temple of Mulgirigala. And Situlpawwa in the Yala area might earn the fame of being a more fascinating ancient site, just due to its environmental settings. However the Rambha Viharaya is one of the largest excavated temple complexes in the southern plains of Sri Lanka, although not many Sri Lankans and foreign guests seem to be aware of this fact. What is now called the Rambha Viharaya once served as the main monastery of an ancient city named Mahanagakula, which was an important trading center in antiquity and became the capital of Sri Lanka's Deep South during the Polonnaruwa period. Even the nation's famous Tooth Relic is said to have been kept here for a while during the period of Indian Chola hegemony over the northern half of the island. The reputation of the "banana monastery" - which actually the literal meaning of "Rambha Viharaya" - remained to be far-reaching after the Polonnaruwa period, when even monks from Myanmar's world-famous temple-town Bagan sought advice from the monks residing here in southern Sri Lanka.
The rare visitor of the Rambha Viharaya will be welcomed by the staff of the Archaeological Department running a small but interesting museum in the northern part of the archaeological zone. The heritage site of the Rambha Viharaya is dotted with remnants of image houses and monks' abodes and even an Anuradhapura-period Bo-temple. What's appealing is that this ancient sanctuary has been revived as a monastery, earning niw a reputation as an educational centre. So monks and novices can still be met at this heritage site. Actually, the excavation area, situated just behind the modern monastic buildings, is surprisingly large and among the historically most significant archaeological zones of southern Sri Lanka. Due to its undisturbed location in the jungles at the shores of the Walawe river, some parts of the Rambha Viharaya compound turn out to be pretty charming places. In short: This heritage destination is easy to reach and can nevertheless considered to be off the beaten path.
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What is Taprobane?

10/23/2018

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Taprobane was the ancient Greek name of Sri Lanka, first reported to Europeans by the Greek geographer Megasthenes around 290 BC. Most probably, Taprobana was a transliteration of the then authentic Pali name of the island, Tambapanni, which meens copper-red.

However, there is a much smaller island now known under the very same name, viz. a private island with one villa, located in the cove of Weligama. The original name of this small Taprobane Island is Galduwa, which means Rock Island in Sinhalese. It was renamed after the ancient Greek word for Sri Lanka by Maurice Talvande, who purchased the island as his private paradise and built a villa and garden on it. Today, the villa on Taprobane Island is a charming boutique hotel providing 5 bedrooms, living areas and a modern infinity pool.
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The world's only moonstone mine?

9/14/2018

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Many online articles on Meetiyagoda state that this is the world's only moonstone mine. Actually, this is not true. But what is true is that Meetiyagoda is unique. Read our article to understand in what respect this claim is true. Find more detailed information about Meetiyagoda and moonstones here...
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Mirissa's second whale watching season from July to September

7/24/2018

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Mirissa whale watching port
Mirissa is situated at Sri Lanka's south coast, 35 km east of Galle and 10 km west of Matara. Mirissa has become one of the most beloved beach destinations in recent years, particularly independent travellers are attracted by the wide range of guesthouses ans small hotels. Mirissa crescent-shaped beach is popular with surfers and has a break ideal for beginners. The main surf spot is on the right end of the beach, where many guesthouses and restaurants are located. There is a low power right-hander break at the rocks and a left-hander near the port.

First and foremost, Mirissa has become  the island's main whale watching location. The whale watching season in Mirissa runs from November to April, April being the peak season. However, there is a second whale watching season starting just now, from July to September.

Read more abot Mirissa whale watching here...
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Lunuganga, Sri Lanka's gem of garden architecture

7/18/2018

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Lunuganga residence of Geoffrey Bawa
Lunuganga, meaning "Salt River" is the name of a peninsula within the Dedduwa Lake. It was named by its owner Geoffrey Bawa. The former country house of Sri Lanka's most renowned architect has become a major attraction for day-trippers from Bentota and Beruwela and other southwest-coast beaches. The small peninsula had been used as a cinnamon estate during the Dutch colonial period and become a rubber plantation during the British era. Geoffrey Bawa became the landowner in 1949 and developed the Lunuganga Estate into his weekend residence. His ambition was to create a Sri Lankan style of garden architecture including elements of Italian and English gardens in a tropical environement. Bawa lived here almost half a century. After he passed away, he was cremated in the gardens. The estate has been managed by the Lunuganga Trust, a group of his former friends, who devoloped the arcitecturally significant site into a country house hotel.

Read more about what to see in Lunuganga...

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Old fishing port of Hambantota

7/4/2018

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In recent years, Hambantota has become famous for being the most modern port in southern Sri Lanka. However, Hambantota has been a fishing community traditionally and the old fishing port still exists. It can be found to the east of the new Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port and not far from the beaches near Bundala National Park.
old fishing port of Hambantota
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Ussangoda National Park

5/2/2018

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headland of Ussangoda
Ussangoda near Ambalantota at the south coast is one of the small national parks of Sri Lanka that were established for protecting a specific flora. It’s not a wildlife park. Ussangoda is the largest one of the very few areas in Sri Lanka that have serpentine soils. Due to the naturally high concentration of heavy metals in serpentine soils, only few plant species can survive in this habitat. These grasses do not occur in other habitats and are therefore protected. There are many folk stories related to Ussangoda. For example, it is said to be a former meteor. A popular belief is that this barren land was a kind of landing place orairport for the heavenly chariot (Pushpaka Vimana) of Lord Rama and that it was burnt by Lord Hanuman.
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Wilmanna and Bundala

4/27/2018

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spotted deer in Wilmanna Sanctuary near Bundala
Many tourists don’t know that most of the area they cross when joining a safari in Bundala National Park does actually belong to the Wilmanna sanctuary. When the Bundala National Park was restructured and mainly divided into two parts, viz. a reduced national park area and the adjacent Wilmanna Sanctuary, which was opened in January 2006. With 3,300 hectares it’s almost of equal size as the national park. The main difference is: Bundala National Park consists mainly of lagoons and water surfaces, whereas Wilmanna sanctuary is mainly dry zone scrubland dotted with numerous small ponds. Both areas are habitats for various bird species in particular.

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Sri Lanka's Travel Regions
Find a list of 270 Sri Lanka travel destinations & attractions:

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Why travel with Lanka Excursions Holidays?

+ We are a local agency owned and run by Sri Lankans, not part of international holdings
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Lanka Excursions Holidays
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255/24, "Green Park" Dawatagahawatta, Thimbirigaskatuwa, Mahahunupitiya East, Negombo, Sri Lanka
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