If you are looking for a culture that has transcended through centuries, your ideal destination would be Sri Lanka. Holidays on the island are guaranteed to be culturally rich if only for the simple reason that there is no place on the entire island that is 100
modern. Sri Lankans are proud of their inheritance, thus ensuring that you will be exposed some element or the other of Sri Lankan culture wherever you go.
There are several key sites to visit on a culture tour, most of them being ancient Kingdoms. Kandy is the modern-day heart of Sri Lankan culture and is home to the sacred Temple of Tooth. The Temple of Tooth, according to history, houses a Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha. Anuradhapura is an ancient Kingdom that is now a city of ruins. Here you can find remnants of castles, ponds, entertainment halls, public halls, and above all temples – wonders of architecture that are well preserved to date, and worshipped by many devotees. Polonnaruwa is another ancient Kingdom that is much like Anuradhapura, except with a whole different style of architecture. You will find forest monasteries in this region too, such as Pidurangala, the lesser known cousin of famous Sigiriya rock.
Towards the East part of the island, you can find Hindu cultural sites such as the Konneswaram Temple and the Munneswaram Temple. There is also the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu, a church that is renowned for its miracles, and visited by people of all faiths. Most of the cultural sites in Sri Lanka are centred on religion, displaying its multi-religious, multi-ethnic roots.
The Cultural aspect of Sri Lanka is an important aspect of tourism here so much so that tour agencies like Walkers Tours have separate packages exploring this area of the island, that goes on for over a week. There is much to learn in terms of history, religion, and how they amalgamate to create a centuries-old culture when you visit Sri Lanka.
Catalina Forbes is a travel writer who bases her content on many thrilling escapades experienced across the world.