Best places to visit in Sri Lanka-Part 6 #Religious sites

Witnessing other religions and beliefs other than yours will add a lot of awesome stories and amazing experiences to your life.

So in the sixth part of the 'Best Places to visit in Sri Lanka you'll find best religious sites in Sri Lanka.If you are one who love to dig deeper into Sri Lankan culture, traditions and beliefs '#ReligiousSites' category is especially for you.

Check the link to visit the previous post

 Peepz who are new around here, go to this link to catch the whole series.If you have no ideas what the heck Sri Lanka is, start from here.:)

As always you'll find another three best  places to visit in Sri Lanka.This time, it's three religious sites.

Temple of the tooth

It's one of the most sacred Buddhist temples where the left canine of lord Buddha rests. The shrine located in Kandy(137km from Colombo) is a very popular tourist attraction and a must visit in Sri Lanka.The temple complex was built in 16 century is filled with stunning paintings and decorated with amazing stone and wood work.

Temple of the tooth at Kandy is one of the six UNESCO world heritage sites in Sri Lanka.The special rituals carried out for 100 of years to serve the relic is one of the must-catch sights, there.

If you interested, here's everything you need to know before you visit Temple of the tooth and 10 Interesting things to do in Kandy Sri Lanka

 The best time to visit there is the festival season in July.The 'Elasa Perahera'(Kandy festival) is a wonderful parade saturated with colours and light, full of traditional dancers, drummers and a lot of elephants.

Conclusion-Temple of the tooth is a religious place of Buddhists where you can experience Sri Lankan rituals, culture, and traditions.

Katharagama Dewalaya(Katharagama temple)

This is the holy place devoted to God Katharagama(Skandha Kaumara) where 100 of devotees go to observe a day. Katharagama devalaya which is situated in the north-eastern province is 284km   km away from Colombo.

This is also a place for all the Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims alike. The place is full of legends and folk tales of miracles and powers of god Katharagama. People believe that is place helps the good devotees of god Katharagama in bad lucks.

The unique ritual style (a fusion of Hindu and Sinhala culture )of Katharagama devalaya have made the place different from all the other religious places found in Sri Lanka. Get pierced with large hooks, walk on fire are very common sight, devotees engage to show their gratitude to god Katharagama.

The two weeks period of time  in July -August is the most crowded and the best time go there.It's the festival season of the devalaya which conducts with a lot of ritual practices and ends up with a parade full of glamor and grandeur. Click here to know the event calendar of the festival this year and a lot more about the place.

Conclusion-Katharagama Devalawa is another best place to visit in Sri Lanka, where Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and Christians worship alike. The Hindu styled rituals practiced there, for years made the place unique and will remain  you with unforgettable memories.

Nallur Kovil

A holy kovil complex worshiped by Hindus situated in Jaffa(365km from Colombo) is very popular among the Tamils in Sri Lanka. The place is specially devoted to lord Murugan-the son of lord Shiva, also known as Karthikeya.

Though the present Nallur Kovil  was built in 1749 AD  during the Dutch era, the place is one of the oldest Hindu kovils in Sri Lanka that owns a history from 948 AD.As the Kovil was destroyed by foreign  invaders, the Kovil had relocated in several places around Jaffna.

This is an ideal place to catch the beauty of Sri Lankan Tamil culture and tradition. The highly decorated corridors and the finely detailed structure of the place are magnificent. 

August is the annual festival season of the kovil which means the best time to visit there.The colorful festival performs similar rituals to the Katharagama Devala like piecing body.

Conclusion-Nallur Kovil is a Hindu temple worshiped by Tamils. It is a great place to witness Hindu cultural practices, rituals  and Hindu architecture. 

So where you'll be visiting in your trip to Sri Lanka ?Temple of the tooth or Katharagama Dewalaya or Nallur Kovil?Tell me in the comments!

Also, tell me what was your first experience in a religious site devoted to a religion other than yours?How was it?

Hope you enjoy this post.Happy travels!

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