Sri Lanka is an island full of wonders that mesmerize both eyes and hearts of the visitors. Simply, its nature and lavish beauty hardly exist in any other country around the world. Its beauty arises with its shine as a green pearl amidst a bluish ocean. Besides, there are many locations on this island that attracts the world. One such place, where a rare beauty is present, is the wonderful city of Vavuniya.
It belongs to the highest point, the Northern province of the island. Further, it is a wide city that lies quite closer to the Northern Ocean which is a part of the huge Indian ocean. This charming town is not only blessed with natural beauty, but also with many significant places, and monuments. Simply, you have so many things to do and see out there. So, this article will further share with you about this particular city and its unbelievable glamour.
What are the Best Places to Visit in Vavuniya?
Vavuniya is full of different places that keep up to its fame. Besides, it is a wonderful city with so much cultural diversity. In fact, it is a combination of temples, kovils, mosques, churches, museums, forests, mountain peaks, national parks, towers, and ruins that have religious, historical, and cultural value. All these places are indeed must-visits.
However, to help you out in choosing the best places to visit in Vavuniya, we came up with a list. Here it is!
- Madukanda Viharaya
- Kandasamy Kovil
- Kali Kovil
- Archeological Museum of Vavuniya
- Grand Jummah Mosque
- St.Anthony’s Church
- Kaludiya Pokuna Forest
- Isinbassagala
- Clock Tower
- Iru Pothana Ruins
Scroll down to know more about these places!
1. The Madukanda Vihara
Madukanda Vihara, the name itself reveals the nature of the place without arousing the curiosity of the people. It is a temple, and it is also famous as Madukanda Sri Dalada Viharaya. Especially for foreigners, it is a strange word and a place full of unknown and unseen things. It possesses a historical value, and it is located in Madukanda village which is about 4km away from Vavuniya.
According to the verbal history, both Madukanda village and the temple date back to the 4th century AD approximately. The temple has a long and interesting history that has connections with several significant historical events.
Records of the historians convey that Madukanda Viharaya was the 4th resting point of the journey of taking down the Lord Buddha’s tooth relic to the island. Most interestingly, it says that Madukanda Viharaya happened to be the first house of the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha (Dalada Maligawa). In fact, it was the relic house that treasured the tooth relic until the uprooting of the temple in Anuradhapura.
Even the carvings of the temple showcase its significance through their incomparable craftsmanship. The Stupa next to the temple is a bonus addition to the visitors. And yes, it also holds some historical value although not as much as the temple.
How to Reach Madukanda Viharaya
As the temple deserves to get visitors to witness its belongings, the way to it is unexpectedly easy. The traveler has to just get into a bus or a three-wheeler that is leading the way to Central Vavuniya from the Vavuniya town to reach the destination. The best thing about the place is that you do not have to worry about the accommodation of the night of the day you are touring in Madukanda Vihara as the temple offers free accommodation for its visitors.
After all, Madukanda Viharaya is a place purely made for the visitors who trail back to the origination of certain historical events liaised with the Buddhism religion.
2. Kandasamy Kovil
Vavuniya particularly houses the Hindu temples (Kovils) all around the city. And yes, they are immensely contributing to the atmosphere and the inhabitants of the whole Northern part of the country.
One of the main Kovils that it houses is Kandasamy Kovil. This Kovil is not completely about its sacred atmosphere, but about the rare architecture of its buildings. Its decorative vibrant appearance makes you believe that you are in a Kovil in South India. The adaptation has been done to its fullest having the intention of giving the authentic Kovil surrounding to its visitors and pilgrims.
The original colors of the temple have indeed faded away. Still, the delight and the fascination that it gives out are never-ending. Not only the temple, but the golden idol placed in the sanctum added some extra color to the already existing architectural value.
Kandasamy Kovil prioritizes the deity, Murugan. Therefore, it is a primary destination of the Murugan devotees. Annually, it receives more than an unimaginable count of devotees. And the specialty is that they are not only from the Hindu religion but from other religions including the outland crowd.
Further, Kandasamy Kovil is one of the most preferred photography and ceremonial locations in the Northern part of the country. Mainly, the Kovil holds wedding ceremonies for devoted couples. Besides, it is crowning the top when it comes to celebrating the Hindu festivals at any time of the year.
After all, this temple is all about a widely spread land where the visitors have something to explore in every single inch of it.
3. Kali Kovil
The Kali Kovil, situated closer to the town center of Vavuniya attracts more than thousands of pilgrims a year. It is a religious attraction that is dedicated to the Goddess Kali or Mata Kali. Thus, this kovil is one of the most visited places by the heartiest devotees of Goddess Kali from all over the nation. Also, it attracts more travelers interested in architectural resources due to its attractive quality.
Besides, this temple is mostly famous for vibrant celebrations and festivals. In fact, it gets highly decorative with those dark, yet delightful colors during those times. Moreover, people say that to experience the Kovil for the highest satisfaction, it is better to visit in the early mornings or early evenings. Then, the best natural light and cold breeze will create the perfect atmosphere to explore every single detail without amiss.
4. Archaeological Museum of Vavuniya
The Archeological Museum in Vavuniya is a regional museum of the Northern province that lies in Vavuniya town. And yes, it showcases all the importance of Vavuniya without an exception. The Department of Archeology of Sri Lanka maintains it.
Mainly, one can find the items from Vavuniya and its surrounding among the rare collection of antiquities that are under preservation in the museum. This also prioritizes religious antiquities that are coming from pre-historical and colonial history. The collection includes rare fifth to eighth-century antiquities, statues of Buddha, statues of Hindu Goddesses, and a few Christian objects.
The specialty of this museum is that it doesn’t have any entrance fee. However, you have no permission for photography in it unless there is special permission.
Even giving a thought about the crowd that is uninterested in museums, the place has a separate shady yard which gives a mesmerizing view spreading out to several miles. So, this is the ideal place to get a sneak peek into the treasured history of Vavuniya city and its establishment, as well as to spend some quality time leisurely.
5. Grand Jummah Mosque
By now, you already know that the city of Vavuniya is attracting visitors to the city forwarding its multi-religious atmosphere. And yes, this city also has quite a popular mosque in its land area.
Glamouring in the center of the city, the Grand Jummah mosque touches the heights of the sky over the busy market. Its golden-shaped dome that is sparkling on the top makes the mosque turn the eyes of every visitor to the city. Other than that the exterior decorations, and the tiled outer walls, which usually happened to be white, make the creation stand out remarkably.
From all around the country, Muslim devotees visit the grand Jummah Mosque considering it a major sacred place of their religion. At the same time, the mosque stands out as a tourist attraction point in the city while getting an uncountable number of visitors per year to explore its unique beauty.
6. St. Anthony’s Church
St. Anthony’s church; the name itself suggests that it is for Christian devotees all around the country and even across the world. It is situated in one of the rural areas of the city, but with a majestic outer look that seconds every other detail around it.
The view it gives erecting side by side a lake full of lavish water fades away the plain look of the church that it alone gives. Moreover, St. Anthony’s church displays the beauty of a heap of concrete through the simplicity of church.
Similarly, like the other sacred places of the other religions, St. Anthony’s church also takes a grandeur look during the festival periods such as Christmas and New Year. During these periods, the church takes a completely vibrant appearance with thousands of small bulbs all around the place. Hence and considering the opinion of the majority, the best time to visit and tour the church is during the festival periods when it gets glamorous.
The Christianity of the church spreads out to a huge distance with its sacred quality of it.
7. Kaludiya Pokuna Forest
Apart from all the religious contexts in this city, many consider it as the best place for sightseeing as well. The main thing about it is that these spots are connected to some of the major historical events that happened in the history of Sri Lanka. One of such places that fulfill the desires of all the trail hunters and nature lovers, is the Kaludiya Pokuna Forest.
This forest showcases the true bounties of mother nature. Within this territory, visitors can find a vast variety of both endemic and non-endemic floral species in Sri Lanka. Besides, the forest is a completely untouched territory of man-made activities and it is simply just nature and lush green. At a glance, Kaludiya Pokuna Forest is a widely spread woodland with canopies all over the place. In addition, most parts of these plants are with a high timber value which is quite a rare collection found nowhere in the world.
At the same time, the forest is rich with a variety of fauna. It includes the tufted gray langur and the purple-faced langur. Apart from all this flora and fauna diversity, Kaludiya Pokuna Forest is the best place to travel around and explore some rare ruins. So, it is indeed the best place to visit if you are touring around the city of Vavuniya.
8. Isinbassagala
Coming back to the religious context of the city, Isinbassagala is a Buddhist temple that is quite outbound from the center of the city. The location is declared a tourist location that is about 21.4 kilometers away from the center of Vavuniya.
It is a place with Stupa and a Buddhist temple that lies on top of a hill with a rocky surface spread widely. The best thing about the place is the panoramic view of the landscapes at the bottom of the particular hill. The overview of the place is fascinating and speechless. Except for the Stupa and the Buddhist Temple, it says the place contains statues of King Devanampiyathissa and Lord Buddha along with Bodhi trees all around the place.
When it comes to the history of this place, it was established under the administration of the ruling party during the period of King Devanampiyatissa. However, later the original structure was renovated and repaired during the 20th century, which is very recent. During those excavations, they found that there is a cobra-carved stone and footprints of Lord Buddha at this site. These discoveries relate epic stories of Sri Lankan history that had the chance of vanishing somewhere in the future.
9. Clock Tower
Above all these attractive points, the vintage clock tower that stands at the center of Vavuniya city is a highlight. It indeed adds more color to this mesmerizing tourist hotspot. Further, it, undoubtedly, is one of the best attractions in Vavuniya.
You, indeed, do not need a separate time or a separate date to explore it. There is nothing much to explore but to regard and appreciate the shape it has given to the city.
If there is anything you need to know about this giant clock tower, there is nothing to worry about! The details such as the date of building it, the contributors, the concept makers, etc. are there in the description on it. You can stop by the foot of the clock tower and read it out.
Possibly, the tower dates back to the mid-19s when the country was under the colonial influence. These are some of the memorial monuments that remind us that we have been slaves to three European nations. Some believe that they have built such things in order to convince the world that they have not done anything wrong to this little island. Anyhow, the sources that show their hypocritical behavior have become the sources for the island to attract tourists around the world.
10. Irupothana Ruins
Irupothana ruins lead trails back to the history of Vavuniya city. In fact, they hold a greater portion of significance related to some historical events in Sri Lanka.
Due to its unusual formation, the ruins indubitably fall under the top list of the best natural attractions in Vavuniya. Besides, it is considered the birthplace of Nandimithra, one of the strongest giants of a giant troop owned by a king.
Subsiding with the Irupothana reservoir that flows through Mahalachchakodiya Irupothana rocks stands as a giant themselves. The rock is covered with ruins that relate to the history of the time that this particular giant was born. It also has multitudes of drip ledge caves that had been employed a long time back by the Buddhist monks for the pure purpose of meditation.
Further, the other rock, which is namely, Kimbulagala rock lies beside Irupothana rock. It also adds more value to the historical details preserved in the area. In fact, it holds some important Buddhist ruins on it. Hence, visiting Irupothana rock doubles your chance to explore more and more rare information about the history that these ruins tell about. Indeed, there are things more than what you expect to see.
How to Reach Vavuniya?
Vavuniya is one of the 26 districts in Sri Lanka that one can spot easily on a map. So, reaching Vavuniya is not a big deal. More specifically it is in the Northern province, which is the topmost part of the island. Besides, it is not an area that is difficult to explore. One can find either public or private transportation modes to reach Vavuniya starting from any of the main cities in the country.
However, traveling by an express train would give you the best journey rather than any of the traveling modes. You can easily get these trains either from Kandy, or Colombo Fort. Further, the official website of Sri Lankan Railways will help you get an idea about the train schedules. Yet, private vehicles or rented vehicles can help you make it to Vavuniya more comfortably, and explore more into the city.
General Whether Climate in Vavuniya
Vavuniya is a fairly hot and dry zone in Sri Lanka. Therefore, it is quite hard to walk around if you have nothing with you to make you at ease. Hence make sure to have with you the following when you are visiting Vavuniya.
- Cap or a hat
- An umbrella
- A water bottle
- A light pair of slippers
Wearing a less covered dress will also help you travel with ease.
The Best Time to Visit Vavuniya
There’s no particular time period in a year to explore this historically and architecturally city. Yet, make sure you do a good background check about the climate of the city when you are planning your trip. As we mentioned earlier, of course, this town belongs to the dry zone. Still, if it is very hot, or if there is rain by chance, it would affect the quality of your trip. So, when the city has fine weather would be the right time for you to visit Vavuniya.
How to Get Ready for the Vavuniya Trip?
Always with the particular budget think about what you may prefer. In fact, check for the availability of accommodation, and your mode of transportation. Along with that, plan your trip from beginning to end in a very organized manner. Doing so will help you cover every possible place in Vavuniya and its vicinity. A tour guide, a Sri Lankan from that area, or a traveler who has explored Vavuniya can help you with it. Besides, make yourself ready to expect any kind of weather rather than looking for a better time to come. However, time never matters if you have the willpower to fulfill your inner desires with a proper plan.
The Bottom Line
Without limiting to one or two or few religions existing in the country, the city of Vavuniya covers all the active religions of it by making it a major sacred city of every religion. All these places are a creation of the time and history remaining up to date with the hope of a long life. Besides, this city also offers a unique natural charm. So, after all, visiting Vavuniya is never a worthless decision, as it will make you amazed every second from the time you step into that city. You will never expect that fascination from quite an ordinary city of Sri Lanka, that is not popularly talked about. So, what are you thinking about? Visit Vavuniya, and explore its delight. Happy and safe traveling!
