Day Seven – Trip to Kataragama

Saturday 6 Feb 2016

We woke up in the morning at Tissa to the sounds of peacocks and other animals in the background. The place we were staying at Tissa seemed like it was in the middle of the jungle. It was a beautiful setting.

After breakfast, we packed and were ready for our short trip to Kataragama. Kataragama is a remote religious town that is sacred to the Buddhists,Hindus and Muslims. Pilgrims come from all over Sri Lanka and beyond. The shrines are dedicated to the god Kataragama.

Pilgrims on the way to the temple washing themselves in the river nearby

The monkeys in the area seem quite at home

The monkeys in the precinct area are quite tame and fed by the pilgrims. We go past a mosque and a Shiva shrine. A short distance later we come to the Maha Devale, the main shrine for Kataragama.

Priest entering the Maha Devale for morning Pooja

Beyond Maha Devale, about 500m down the road is the Buddhist shrine, Kiri Vihara.

There were elephants with the mahouts along the roadway leading up to Kiri Vihara. The pilgrims seek blessing from the elephants.

Looking down the roadway filled with pilgrims from Kiri Vihara

Pilgrim going underneath elephant to seek blessing

After about 3 hours or so at Kataragama, we were back in our van on our way to our next overnight stop in Mirissa. Mirissa is on the south coast of Sri Lanka and the area is unspoilt.