5 great reasons for visiting Sri Lanka this year

Sri Lanka Planetarium opened in 1965 and is the only of its kind in the country. The attractive architecture of the building was designed by A.N.S. Kulasinghe in the shape of a lotus flower in full bloom. The planetarium has attracted many visitors and stargazers since its opening and was refurbished in 2014 to include 560 seats under the main dome, which uses a 4D Digital full dome projector to display the universe. Enjoy taking a tour of the galaxy and Earth’s night sky.

Gangaramaya Vihara Buddhist Temple is also a museum, displaying a number of religious exhibits, including the massive sacred tree located in the complex. However, the museum side of Gangaramaya Vihara is a collection of vintage cars, including a mint, vintage Rolls Royce. The Nevam Maha Perahara procession is held here during the February full moon, with a number of monks and a decorated elephant carrying the temple’s sacred relics on its back.

While previously the Pettah Floating Market was a chaotic place, floating on smelly water with drug dealers and other dubious characters haunting the place, these days it is the ideal place for some retail therapy in Sri Lanka. Colombo is involved in a number of beautification projects, including the market, in order to attract more tourists. Everything is available here, from fruit and vegetables to fashion, jewellery, shoes, local handicrafts and electronics goods.

Sigiriya is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an ancient rock fortress, sitting on the top of a massive rock column some 200 m (656 ft) up. The fortress dates back to the 5th century. However, this site was also used as a monastery back in the 3rd century. The ruins of a city can also been seen here. There is a restful garden at the base of the rock and some rather steep steps taking visitors up to the fortress itself.

In these hard times, many can relate to the Buddhist idea of travelling through Hell to get to Heaven. However, Wewurukannala Vihara Temple gives the opportunity to do just that. In order to gain access to the massive Buddha in the temple complex, pilgrims and visitors have to go down into a scary tunnel, lined with boiling cauldrons, fanged demons and sinners being cut in half. This is considered to be the path of enlightenment sinners experience should they choose to succumb to temptations.