Kataragama

Few places lavish the luxury of extreme serenity and spiritual bliss just upon setting foot into it the way the Kiri Vehera temple in Kataragama does. While it is the Hindu Kataragama, with its myriad and colourful rituals and renowned deity that has captured the imagination of pilgrims’ world over, the more quietly ethereal Kiri Vehera, in its virgin whiteness, has a charm beyond the clash of colour and life that is so much a part of the venerable holy city.

Kiri Vehera

Kiri Vehera is one of the five most important sites of worship in the city along with the Maha Bodhi, Kataragama Devale, Sella Kataragama and Vedihitikanda. The dagoba is also described in the stanzas as one of 16 most important pilgrimage sites in Sri Lanka

The 95 ft. tall Kiri Vehera has a circumference of 280 feet. It is milky white in colour, hence the name. It is situated near the well known Menik Ganga.

Kaluthara

Once an important spice-trading center, the city's name is derived from the Kalu Ganga River ('Black River' in native Sinhala). In the 11th Century, the town was temporarily made a capital on the orders of a South Indian Prince. The region was later planted with coconut trees, whose by-products are used for both internal and external trade. The location also boast fortifications dating back from the times when Portuguese, Dutch and British vied for control of the area.

The 38-meter long Kalutara Bridge was built at the mouth of the Kalu Ganga River and serves as a major link between the country's Western and Southern border. At the southern end of the bridge lies the 3 stories-high Kalutara Vihara, a Buddhist temple built in the 1960s which holds the distinction of being the only stupa in the world that is hollow.

Trincomalee

Trincomalee (Tamil: திருகோணமலை Tirukōṇamalai) (Sinhala: තිරිකුණාමළය Tirikūṇamaḷaya) is a port city on the east coast of Sri Lanka, about 110 miles northeast of Kandy. The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. It is one of the main centers of Tamil speaking culture on the island. Historically referred to as Gokanna,^[1] or Gokarna it has been a sea port that has played a major role in maritime and international trading history of Sri Lanka.

The Bay of Trincomalee's harbour is renowned for its large size and security; unlike every other in the Indian Sea, it is accessible to all types of craft in all weathers. The beaches are used for surfing, scuba diving, fishing and whale watching. The city also has the largest Dutch fort in Sri Lanka. It is home to major Sri Lankan naval bases and a Sri Lankan Air Force base.

Jafna

Jaffna or Yazhpanam (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாணம், Sinhala: යාල්පානම් ) (யாழ் meaning = sitar and பாணம் meaning = Town, therefore யாழ்ப்பாணம் means Town of (the) Harper) is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. Though most of the residents of Jaffna are Sri Lankan Tamils, there is also a minor presence of Sri Lankan Moors (Muslims) and Portuguese Burghers (Roman Catholics). Almost all Sri Lankan Muslims were driven off from Jaffna by the LTTE in the 1990s, as a result of the ethnic conflict which started in the 1970s^[1] which today leaves Jaffna almost exclusively Tamil, apart from the military personnel.