World Heritage Sites
Sri Lanka, with its teardrop-shaped island, is one of the world’s most interesting tourist attractions. Yes, it has enticing beaches, a plethora of boutique hotels, and stunningly beautiful train trips that will make you want to hang your head out the window. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, is culturally and historically rich, having eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
There are quite lot of UNESCO sites for such a small island nation!
A World Heritage Site is an area recognised as having great cultural or physical significance from UNESCO. It might be a monument, a temple, a city, a forest, or any historically significant area. There are six UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka, all of them are historical sites. The bulk of them are located in Sri Lanka’s famed Cultural Triangle, an island-wide treasure trove of temples, monuments, and historic cities. The other two natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites are the Sinharaja Forest Reserve and the Central Highlands.
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Anuradhapura City
It is Sri Lanka’s first ancient capital and has been the country’s capital for the longest duration. It has religious, historical, and cultural significance for the inhabitants, and it is well-known across the world for the well-preserved ruins of the Great Sri Lankan Civilization.
Anuradhapura, the largest of Sri Lanka’s ancient towns, covers an area of roughly 16 square miles and is home to huge ruins, temple fragments, stone Stupas, and Buddhist monasteries. The most famous of them are the 140BC Ruwanweliseya Dagoba and the massive holy fig tree where Lord Buddha was enlightened.
Polonnaruwa City
For the first time, King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 CE and unified the land under a national sovereign, proclaimed Polonnaruwa the capital city. While Vijayabahu’s triumph and the shifting of kingdoms to more strategic Polonnaruwa are notable, his grandson, Parakramabahu I, is the genuine Polonnaruwa Hero of history. Polonnaruwa was known as Jananathamangalam during the Chola dynasty’s brief rule.
After Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa served as Sri Lanka’s second capital. Some of the ruins here include Bhramanic buildings and a garden city from the 12th century Chola culture. The archaeological attractions of Polonnaruwa include tombs, temples, and other remains.
Lion’s Rock – Sigiriya (Sinhagiri)
Want to see a 5th-century castle constructed on a flat rock? This is Sigiriya, Sri Lanka’s most well-known heritage site. The climb to the top is approximately 1200 steps, but you can take breaks along the way to enjoy the beautiful view and also to explore the beautiful frescoes protected in an indentation within the rock. At the summit, there are remnants of the King’s fortress, a large water pool, and, of course, a breathtaking 360-degree view of the cultural triangle.
The site operated as both a palace and a fortification. Enough remains to give the visitor a spectacular peek into the creativity and artistry of the builders.
Kandy City
The Sri Dalada Maligawa, or Shrine of the Sacred Tooth Relic, is a temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It was built as part of the royal palace complex that houses the Buddha’s tooth relic, which Buddhists revere. Since ancient times, the relic has played an essential role in local politics; it is believed that whomever holds the relic rules the area, prompting ancient rulers to protect it with zeal. Kandy was the capital of the Sinhalese Kings from 1592 to 1815, guarded by the steep terrain and difficult access. Because of the temple, UNESCO has classified the city as a World Heritage Site.
Galle Fort
Galle is a town on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka, 119 kilometres (74 miles) from Colombo. Until the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century, Galle was known as Gimhathiththa (although Ibn Batuta refers to it as Qali in the 14th century). Galle reached its height of growth in the 18th century, prior to the entrance of the British, who built the harbour at Colombo.
In 1505, the Portuguese erected a fort in Galle, but it took off once the Dutch enlarged it in 1663. Dutch churches, old Dutch residences, and a Dutch hospital may be found all around the Galle Fort. The fort’s bustling community makes it a lively destination, with boutique stores, galleries, cafés, restaurants, and much more.
Dambulla Cave Temples
This monument, which was included to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991, is located 148 kilometres (92 miles) east of Colombo. It is the biggest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock towers 160 metres (525 feet) over the lowlands below. There have been reports of around 80 caverns in the vicinity. The principal attractions are spread out among five caverns that are adorned with statues and murals. Buddha and his life are depicted in this collection of artworks and sculptures. In total, there are 153 Buddha sculptures, three Sri Lankan king statues, and four gods and goddesses statues. The following four images portray two Hindu gods, Vishnu and Ganesh. The paintings cover an area of 2,100 square metres. Among the scenes engraved on the cave walls are Buddha’s temptation by Mara (The Demon) and Buddha’s first sermon.
For over 22 centuries, pilgrims have been drawn to this site.
Central Highlands of Sri Lanka
The Central Highlands of Sri Lanka have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The property includes the Peak Wilderness Protected Area, Horton Plains National Park, and Knuckles Conservation Forest. These are rain forests that may be found at elevations of up to 2,500 metres (8,200 feet). These locations are home to a variety of animal species.
The Sri Lankan montane rain forests consist of wet montane and submontane forests over 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) in the central highlands and the Knuckles mountain range. Half of Sri Lanka’s endemic blooming plants and 51% of the island’s endemic animals live in this ecoregion. This ecoregion is home to five totally endemic animals and eight near-endemic mammals. The ecoregion also has five strictly unique bird species and 20 near endemics. There are three protected zones on the property.
Sinharaja Forest Reserve
Sinharaja Forest Reserve in Sri Lanka is a national park. It is globally notable since UNESCO designated it as a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site.
The steep virgin rainforest, which is part of the Sri Lanka lowland rain forests ecoregion, was designated a World Biosphere Reserve in 1978 and a World Heritage Site in 1989, and its inaccessibility saved it from the worst of commercial logging. The reserve’s name translates to “Kingdom of the Lion.”
The reserve is just 21 kilometres (13 miles) long on the east-west axis and 7 kilometres (4 miles) long on the north-south axis, yet it is home to a multitude of unique species, including trees, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
Because of the tropical gardens, wildlife is less noticeable than in dry-zone national parks like Yala. There are no elephants, and the 15 or so leopards that do exist are rarely observed. The most frequent larger animal is the indigenous Purple-faced Langur.
