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It is also the financial and the commercial capital and almost all the major economic activity is centered on the city.
The capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo offers a host of attractions to the tourist. These include Buddhists temples, Hindu temples, mosques, Christian churches, Parliament building, parks, zoo, museums and art galleries. Must visit places of interest in Colombo are century-old Clock Tower, British colonial buildings, the old Parliament in Fort, and Buddhist and Hindu temples.
Ancient Cities in Sri Lanka:
The historical cities of Sri Lanka are Anuradhapura, Mihintale, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Dambula, Arthalanthaya, Yapahuwa, and Aluvihara. Other places of interest include Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, and Ratnapura.
Anuradhapura is one of the World Heritage sites in Sri Lanka. Located in the North-Central part of the Island, Anuradhapura was originally founded by a King's minister named Anuradha in 500 BC. Anuradhapura is acclaimed as the greatest monastic city of the ancient world and has served as the royal capital of 113 kings. In 1073, Anuradhapura was fought over and abandoned when the capital was moved to Polonnaruwa. Explorers re-discovered the crumbling ruins in the 19th Century and an effort to restore and re-build this city has since begun. It is an important historical and archaeological site and continues to attract Sri Lankan and foreign visitors as well as pilgrims.
Beaches of Sri Lanka:
There are many beaches in Sri Lanka and they are found in the three coastal areas-north, west and east. In the west coast, the main beaches are-Negombo, Mount Lavinia, Beruwela, Bentota, Ambalangoda, Hikkaduwa, Galle and Weligama. Along the north coast, one can visit Jaffna. In the east coast, the prominent ones are Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Kalkudah, Nilaveli, and Arugam Bay.
Nature Spots in Sri Lanka:
The nature lovers can visit the Yala or Ruhuna National Park, Wilpattu National Park, Gal Oya National Park, Maduru Oya National Park, Uda Walawe National Park, Wasgamuwa National Park, Horton Plains National Park, and Bundala National Park. For ornithologists, the sanctuaries at Kumana, Wirawila, Bundala, and Kalametiya are all worth a visit. These are all lagoon locations in Sri Lanka's extreme southeastern coast. The Giant's Tank in the northwestern corner of the island is a huge ancient irrigation reservoir of 3,800 hectares. Sri Lanka has three beautiful botanical gardens - Peradeniya at an elevation of 488 m, Hakgala at 1,680 m, and Henarathgoda in the low country. Besides these, one can also find elephant orphanages at Pinnawela and zoological gardens in Colombo.
Events and Festivals:
Sri Lanka has an enormous range of Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Muslim festivals. The Kandy Esala Perahera (July/August) is the country's most important and spectacular pageant, with 10 days of torchbearers, whip-crackers, dancers, drummers and elephants lit up like giant birthday cakes. It climaxes in great procession honoring the Sacred Tooth Relic of Kandy. Second in importance is the Duruthu Perahera (January) held in Colombo, which celebrates a visit by Buddha to Sri Lanka.
Other celebrations include the National Day, celebrated with parades, dances and national games; Sri Lankan New Year (March/April), celebrated with elephant races, coconut games and pillow fights; Vesak (May), a sacred full-moon festival commemorating the birth, death and enlightenment of Buddha; the Hindu Vel festival (July/August) in Colombo, where the ceremonial chariot of Skanda, the God of War, is hauled between two temples; and the predominantly Hindu Kataragama festival (July/August) in Kataragama, where devotees put themselves through the whole gamut of ritual masochism.
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