Batticaloa is a major city in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, and its former capital. The city is the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka and is a major commercial city. It is on the east coast, 69 miles (111 km) south by south east of Trincomalee, and is situated on an island. Batticaloa is said to be “the land of the singing fish”. In Batticaloa you could visit the Old Dutch Fort, Puliyanthivu, Hindu Temples, Lighthouse, Lagoon, Echo Park, Etc….

Trincomalee is a port city on the east coast of Srilanka, about 110 miles northeast of Kandy. The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer Harbour. It is one of the main centers of Tamil speaking culture on the island. Historically referred to as Gokanna,or Gokarna it has been a sea port that has played a major role in maritime and international trading history of Sri Lanka.

The Bay of Trincomalee’s harbour is renowned for its large size and security; unlike every other in the Indian Sea, it is accessible to all types of craft in all weathers. The beaches are used for surfing, scuba diving and fishing. The city also has the largest Dutch fort in Sri Lanka. It is home to major Sri Lankan naval bases and a Sri Lankan Air Force base.

The Koṇēsvaram Temple attracted pilgrims from all parts of India. The Koṇēsvaram shrine itself was demolished in 1622 by the Portuguese (who called it the Temple of a Thousand Columns), and who fortified the heights with the materials derived from its destruction. Some of the artefacts from the demolished temple were kept in the Lisbon Museum including the stone inscription by Kulakottan (Kunakottan). It has an emblem including two fish and is engraved with a prophesy stating that, after the 16th century, westerners with different eye colours will rule the country for 500 years and, at the end of it, rule will revert back to Vadugus. The Hindu temple was also documented in several late medieval texts such as the Konesar Kalvettu and the Dakshina Kailasa Puranam.

Polonnaruwa is the island’s Medieval Capital (11th-13th Centuries AD) which rose to fame after the decline of Anuradhapura… The city was fortified with three concentric walls, beautified with parks and gardens and sanctified by many shrines. A unique Irrigation complex watered the city as well as the surrounding plains helping in agriculture which made the island “the Grainy of the East”. The largest of the man made reservoirs, the huge ParakramaSamudra (the Sea of Parakrama), is larger in size than the Colombo Harbor.Polonnaruwa is home to two magnificent World Heritage Sites and numerous other sites of archaeological and historical interest, some of which depict the influence that Hinduism had on the Buddhist Civilization during that period of history.

In Polonnaruwa, visit the many sites of archaeological and historical interest in the Sacred City including the Grate Statue, Quadrangle, Royal Palace, Vatadage, Hatadage, Siva Devalaya, Gal Viharaya, Alahana Pirivena Complex, Kumara and Lotus Ponds, Thuparamaya, Rankoth Vehera, Pabalu Vehera, Thiwanka Image House, The Museum etc some of which depict the influence that Hinduism had on the Buddhist Civilization during that period of history.