The best-known places in the western plains of Sri Lanka are mainly the two towns of Colombo and Negombo and one popular destination in the hinterland of the Western Province, viz. the Elephant Orphanage in Pinnawela. Most travelers come to Negombo and Colombo only at the beginning and at the end of their round tour or beach holidays, as the Colombo International Airport, actually closer to Negombo, is the gateway of Sri Lanka for almost all foreign guests. To be straightforward, those travelers who want to enjoy the most attractive highlights of the island, have reason to spend as much time as possible far away from Colombo and Negombo, which are definitely not the most alluring towns of Asia. But those who are interested in charming little attractions off the beaten path might be surprised to read that there are some places of interest in the immediate surroundings of Colombo and Negombo that are well worth considering to stay a day or two longer.
Pilikuttuwa is not far from the main road A1 from Colombo to Kandy.
Surprisingly, this extraordinarily attractive forest monastery is very rsarely visited by foreigners.
Surprisingly, this extraordinarily attractive forest monastery is very rsarely visited by foreigners.
Colombo - Sri Lanka's only Metropolitan Area
For foreigners, Colombo is a city for shopping in the first place, good-priced clothes as well as high-end jewels. A city tour usually visits the ocean promenade Galle Face Green, where also the colonial landmark, the Old Parliament Building, is situated, proceeds to Beira Lake, where the most-visited temple of Colombo can be seen, the Gangaramaya Viharaya, and also visits the colonial neighbourhood known as Cinnamon Gardens, seeing the domed town hall on the way and walking around Independence Square. For lovers of Asian Art, the National Museum, also located in Cinnamon Gardens, is definitely a must-see. Colombo's best place to stroll around for a while is the neighbourhood of Pettah, adjacent to Colombo Fort in the very centre of the city. Pettah is a busy bazar with market street crowded with peddlers and coolies. The main attractions in this quarter are the Red Mosque, several Hindu shrines of the Tamil minority and the Dutch Colonial Museum established in an original mansion from that period.
Further attractions of Sri Lanka's capital are the modern architecture of the Dutch Reformed Wolvendaal Church, Nelum Pokun Theatre, Dehiwala Zoo, the beach and colonial hotel of Mount Lavinia, Diyawanna Lake with the modern Parliament Building, the colourful Kailawasanathan Swami Devasthanam Kovil, Viharamahadevi Park, Number 11, once the residence of Sri Lanka's famous architect Geoffrey Bawa, the Economic History Museum known as "Central Point" in Colombo Fort, the nearby Lighthouse, and the National Railway Museum.
The most significant temple in the Western Province is Kelaniya. It's not an ancient building. Actually, the architecure is from the colonial period and only imitates traditional styles. Nonetheless, the Kelaniya Temple is a must-see for those interested in Buddhist culture. One reason is that you can see large numbers of pilgrims performing their rituals on the terrace of the sacred Bo-tree. The other reason is that the interior rooms of the main shrine are decorated with paintings in the Kandyan style and are most famous for the masterpieces of Solias Mendis, who was then Ceylon's most celebrated native artist in the early 20th century. His religious paintings depict scenes from the live of the Buddha and the Buddhist history of the island and the temple. Kelaniya is the only place in the Western Province believed to be visited by the Buddha himself. There is another reason why it's the most sacred site in the western plains. One shrine is the home of Lord Vibhishana, who is venerated by Buddhists and Hindus alike. For the former he is the guardian deity of the western parts of the island, whereas the latter revere him as a helper of Lord Rama, who appointed Vibhishana kinf of the island before leaving to India.
Negombo - beach resort closest to the International Airport
Negombo has numerous colonial chuches, the most significant of which are St. Mary and St. Sebastian. Negombo is mainly a Roman Catholic town, in the respective neighbourhoods of local minority groups you can see mosques and Hindu Kovils and a gaudy Buddhist Temple. However, the main attractions of Negombo are not monuments, the most noteworthy of which is the Dutch Canal, but rather the fishing port and fish markets in the and the Olus, outrigger boats wrongly called catamarans, some of them allow you a ride on the lagoon or on the open ocean.
When spending more time in Negombo, you should not miss at least one or two rewarding boat rides in the lush green immediate surroundings. At the southern end of the lagoon are the mangrove swamps known as Muthurajawela wetlands. They are rich in birdlife and you will definitely observe monkey and chances are high to see the immensely long water monitors. Crocodiles occur, too, but are only rarely spotted. To the north is the river mouth of the Maha Oya, where you can also enjoy a boat ride along this section of the Dutch Canal which runs from one small lagoon to another.
Pinnawela - Elephant Orphanage & Elephant Bath & Projects
The most visited attraction in the hinterland of the western coast, situated on the way to Kandy, is Pinnawela. The morning and afternoon elephant baths in the Maha Oya are definitely worth seeing. The elephant orphanage nurses wounded elephants and orphaned baby and juvenile elephants and gives them a permanent home. To be straightforward, the keeping conditions are not 100% species-appropriate. Bottle-milk feeding by strangers has been removed from the list of options in recent years. Direct Guests can not come in touch with the baby elephants any more. However, the main problem is that the elephants have to spend many hours of the day on a conrete ground and in chains. Critics might contribute to further improvemeents of this otherwise highly praised conservationist institution. The elephants kept here would not survive in the wilderness. Remarkably, they accept each other as a large artificial herd, which is uncommon among elephants without any family bonds.
An alternative to visiting the governmental Elephant Orphanage are activities in one of the privately run elephant camps nearby, one of them being the Millennium Project. Due to a stricter animal protection policy, elephant rides are not permitted any more. Instead, visitors can enjoy a jungle walk side by side with an elephant. The main activity, however, is taking part in daily animal care.
Siyane Korale - Hidden Treasures in the Hinterland of Colombo
For those who stay some more days in Colombo or Negombo, the most recommendable sightseeing area is the forested and hilly region of Siyane Korale in between Colombo and Pinnawela, more precisely: just south of the district capital Gampaha. There are four ancient monasteries that are quite attractive due to their beautiful natural setting. Surprisingly, all four major places of interested are very rarely visited by foreign guests. Their tranquility contributes much to their charme. Who has time only for one monastery should visit Pilikuttuwa, which is a picturebook forest temple with several rock shelters once uses as fwellings by monks. Several of them are inhabited by forest monks again. Nearby is the Maligatenna Monastery. It's another cave temple, the main attraction is the hike to the summit of the highest hill and best vantage point in the western Plains.
Varana further east is a modern meditation monastery. It's also an ancient site with some picturesque temples and has the largest painted cave in the Western Province. Even further west there is, somewhat hidden, a quite unique attraction. The temple is not of any specific interest for lovers of art, but what's really amazing about Pettagangala is the spectacular logan serving as a shrine. It's a little bit like the Sri Lankan version of the world-famous Golden Rock of Kyaiktiyo in Myanmar.
Further east but still not far from the road to Pinnawela is the largest ancient stupa of Western Sri Lanka. The Kotawehera in Dedigama marks the birthplace of King Parakramabahu the Great, who ruled in the western part of the island before gaining the throne in Polonnaruwa in the mid 12th century. What's special about this stupa is that is one of the very few that were opened. As stupas are sacred monuments, it's not possible to excavate their interior without special governmental approval. The findings in the relic shrine included many wonderful artifacts, some of them solid gold. Most of the statues and caskets are on display in the National Museum in Colombo now. But there is a small museum attached to the stupa which houses around a half of the findingd. It really deserves to be called the second most important collection of Buddhist art on the island.
To the south of Dedigama is the forest meditation monastery of Salgala, which allows guests to walk around in the large area of rock boulders that is crowded with cells of reclusive monks, but visitors have to leave the area before noon. In the same region of Dedigama and Salgala is one of the largest temples entirely roofed by a rock shelter. This temple known as Lenagala is also one of the attractions very rarely visited by foreign tourists.
You would like to see improvements on this page or share your own travel impressions? Don't hesitate to comment...