Kurunegala tourist places showcase the rich history of this ancient royal capital, which is also the capital city of Kurunegala district. It is the greatest city in Sri Lanka, surrounded by coconut plants and rubber estates. Kurunegala connects several main roads, making it easy to travel to other places.
The outlook of Kurunegala’s rock looks like the shape of an elephant, so it is called “Elephant Rock”, in Sinhala they are called “Ethagala”. It had an old name called “Hastishaila-pura”.
Do you know how Kurunegala became an important place? Here is where the real story begins. Kurunegala wasn’t the main city before, in the 13th century a sacred Buddhist relic was stolen from Yapahuwa, and it was taken to another kingdom. Then, King Parakrama Bahu III brought the sacred Buddhist relic back. After this event, Kurunegala became an important place for Sri Lanka for the next 50 years.
After the death of King Parikrama Bahu III, King Buvanekabahu II, Parakramabahu IV ruled Kurunegala and finally King Buwaneka Bahu III ruled the place. Then, the next king, Vijayabahu V, chose to rule different cities.
In the place of the tooth, the relic remains a few things like the tooth of the Buddha, a few stone steps, and a part of a doorway.
Kurunegala is surrounded by several major rock outcrops, a distinctive geological feature of the Wayamba province.
There are several major rocks surrounded by and these are the Kurunegala tourist places
- Yakdessagala (WitchRock)
- Ibbagala (Tortoise Rock)
- Ethagala (Elephant Rock)
- Andagala (Eal Rock)
Kurunegala Maraluwawa Raja Maha Viharaya
In the 18th century, the Andagala temple had a history of copper plates offered by King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe. These copper plates tell the story of Prince Pussadeva who ruled in the 2nd century. Maraluwawa rajamaha viharaya is an ancient temple.It is situated on the top of a gala rock. This rock looks like an eel when you are looking at it from the ground or above, the rock stretches 15 km in length, and it is called “Andagala” the Eel-rock.
Arankale Buddhist Monastery
Arankale is a religious house that offers a peaceful escape. It is a home for monks who live their lives alone. It was designed for monks to improve their spiritual practices. This place welcomes people with religious beliefs.
Ridi Viharaya
It is a very old Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka, called “the silver temple”. Dutthagamani of Anuradhapura found silver to build a giant arched roof and it is called Ruwanwelisaya. There are twenty-five caves around the temple. It is in a cave near Ridigama village.
Yapahuwa Rock Fortress
It is an important historical place in Sri Lanka. The sacred tooth relic of Buddha was found in Yapahuwa and it was moved to the Kandy Sri Dalada Maligawa. On the top of the staircase, you can see two lion statues guarding the treasure. You can feel the rock surrounded by green nature and it gives us a beautiful experience. This is the best place to create content about yapahuwa.
There are more beautiful places to visit like Daduru Oya, St. Anne’s church, and Ibbagala Rajamaha Viharaya. So, hurry to explore the memories of the Kurunegala Holidays.
