Kurunegala, capital of Wayamba Province

Kurunegala, which served as the island’s capital for a short period in the late Middle Ages, is now a provincial capital and a major traffic junction in Sri Lanka. The roads from Colombo and Negombo to Polonnaruwa and Trincomalee via Dambulla and from the northwestern coastal towns to Kandy and the Central Highlands cross in Kurunegala. A large bus station forms the center of the town close to the British clock tower, which was built in commemoration of the province’s victims in Worl War I.

Kurunegala’s main attraction is the impressive monadnock known as „elephant rock“ or „Etagala“ in Sinhala. In the begin of the 21st century, a 27 high sitting Buddha has been placed at its slope overloking the city. It’s one of the best vantage points in the Northwestern Province (Wayamba) and easy to reach, as a sealed road winds up to the statue.

At the foot of the rock is a very special attraction, the tomb of a local Muslim saint, which is also frequented and venerated by Buddhists.