Visit Hambanthota Best of 16 Places for you

                                                       Bandagiriya Temple

Bandagiriya, A Village Located At The Very Far End Of The Hambantota District Is Known Well Because Of The Ancient Temple There. The Rock On Which The Ancient Stupas And Other Ruins Are Found Today Is Considered The Highest Peak In The Hambantota District. Marked By The Bandagiriya Tank By One Side, This Peak Gives A Wonderful Panoramic View Of The Surroundings. The International Airport Of Hambantota Is Also Visible From There.

Access To This Place Is Provided Through Hambantota - Meegahajadura Road. Coming From Hambantota Side, You Have To Turn RHS. There Were No Sights Of A Name Board Giving Directions To The Temple, But The Access Road Can Be Easily Located As There Is A Name Board To Bandagiriya Village Resort, Which Is On The Same Access Road As The Temple.

The Ancient Temple Premises Which Spreads In An Area Of 100 Acres, Is Believed To Be Done By King Kawanthissa, In The 2nd Century BC. The Name Bandagiriya Is Believed To Be Derived From The Fact That Two Rocks Were Joined To Construct The Temple. The Place Contains Couple Of Ancient Inscriptions Too.

                                           Hambanthota Saltern

Hambanthota Has Been Famous For Decades Due To Its Salt Production. This Is One Of The Oldest Industry In This Area.The Dry Weather Prevailing Most Of The Years Permits Good Environment Condition For Salt Harvesting Process. According To The Recent Statistics 30% Of The Sri Lanka Salt Production Comes From Hambanthots..

Salt Pans Are Located By The Sea Bordering The Main Road. You Can See A Long Stretch Of Salt Pans Along When You Traveling Along The Main Road. Sea Water Collected And Stored In Salt Pans And Kept Until Water Get Evaporated. They Process Will Leave Solid Salt Concentration On The Fields. You Can See That There Are Number Of Small Road Side Stalls Selling Packets Of Salts By The Main Road.

If Dry Weather Continued For Several Months, It Leads Higher Volumes Of Salt Production. But Harvest Will Drastically Affected If There Any Unexpected Lengthy Rainy Season Continued. Once Harvested, Salt Will Go Through A Cleaning Process And Iodization. These Salt Plant Are Equip With Fully Automated Salt Processing And Iodization Pants. Many Other Industries Depends On The Byproduct Of The Salt Industry Also Hambanthota Salt Pans Are Provides Opportunity For Spotting Migrating Birds During The Season.

                                         Ussangoda National Park

Ussangoda National Park Is Located In Ambalanthota, Hanbanthota District, In Southern Part Of Sri Lanka . This Park Is Bordering The Kalametiya Wild Life Sanctuary And The Indian Ocean,     

Ussangoda Is One Of A Special Site In Sri Lanka Due To Its Own Geographical Features, The Soil Structure And Flora. The Geological Structure In This Area Is Different From Other Part Of The Surrounding. This Covers About 20 Acres Of Land With Dark Red Soil, Small Rocks, Short Grass And Bushes. Due To The Specialty In The Ussangoda Earth, No Other Plants Or Trees Can Be Grown,

According To The Old Day Stories, The History Of Ussangoda Goes Even Up To King Ravana Era. Some Believes That This Place Used By King Ravana To Land His Air Craft Named Dandu Monara,

The More Scientific Belief Is That, This Place Was Struck By A Meteorite Long Time Ago And Ussangoda Is A Part Of That Meteorite Which Had Changed With Time. So This Red Earth Created Is Due To Asteroid,

Some Other Argues That The Red Soils And Undersize Vegetation Is Due The Heavy Sea Breeze,

If You Visit Ussangoda Park, Don’t Forget To Reach The Beach. You Can See Various Types Of Colorful Fish In The Vicinity. This Is Not A Common View In Other Parts Of The 

Country. Same Time You Can See The Sea Erosion Gradually Happening By The Park,

                                                     Yala National Park

Yala National Park Is The Second Largest Wild Sanctuary In Sri Lanaka. Yala Is Situated In The Southern Part Sri Lanka And Nearly 300km Away From Colombo. This Was Declared As A Sanctuary In Year 1938. But British Government Proclaimed This Reserves In 1900.

You Can See Many Abandoned Irrigation Tanks In Yala. Since This Park Is Located By The Sea, Other Than The Fresh Water Tanks, There Are Many Salt Water Lagoons Also Located In.

Yala Is Famous For Leopards And This Park Is Considered As The Place Where You Can Spot Highest Density Of Leopards In The World.

Other Than Leopards, You Can See Elephants, Deer And Sloth Bears In This Park, You Can Easily Spot Crocodiles By The Tanks And Many Wild Buffaloes Also Comes There For Bath And Relax. Wild Boar Families Are Commonly Spotted By The Tanks.

                                 Bataatha Agro Technology Park

You Need To Pay A Small Fee Of Rs 20/= And Buy A Ticket To Enter The Park. Once You Enter To The Park, You Can See The Lake More Closely And We Spotted Peacock Couple Hanging Around. In Your Right Handside, You Will A Small Paddy Field And A Place Call "Kamatha", Which Can Be Used As An Open Air Theater To For Any Performance. There Is A Wee Bissa Also Located By The Kamatha Floor. Wee Bissa Was Used To Store Paddy In Early Days

Bataatha Agro Technology Park Was Established In Year 2007. The Name "Chamal Rajapaksa Agro Park" Given To Tribute Former Minister Mr. Chamal Rajapaksha, Because This Was Established Under The Patronage Of Him.

Agro Tourism Is Not Much Popular In Sri Lanka, But That Is One Of The Idea Behind In Establishing This Park. Same Time It Help Transfer The Technology Knowledge To Farmer And Who Ever Like To Maintain Their Own Home Garden.

                                       Kirinda Rajamaha Viharaya

Kirinda Rajamaha Viharaya Can Be Reach Via Tissa- Kirinda Road. This Temple Is Located On A Summit Of A Rocky Mountain, Just Next To The Southern Coast Of Sri Lanka. Due To Its Location, This Temple Gives Magnificent View Of Sand Dunes Beach, The Indian Ocean, Kirinda Fishing Harbor And The Rest Of The Surrounding.

Kirinda Temple Was Built By King Kawanthissa. Devotees Who Are On Pilgrimage To Ruhunu-Ktharagama, Usually Come To This Place.
Kirinda Temple Can Be Easily Spotted From Distance, Due To The Recently Constructed Standing Buddha Statue. Large Parking Area Provided So You Can Park Your Vehicle Without Much Hassle.

You Need To Climb Up To Reach The Temple Premises. We Can Use Either Recently Paved Stairways Or There Steps Caved On Rock Bed, Which Was Used In Old Days.

Historical Records About Kirinda Temple

According To The Historical Records And Stories, Some Believe That Kirinda Is The Place Where Prince Viharamahadevi Drifted Ashore. King Kalanithissa, Who Rules Kalaniya Was The Father Of Prince Viharamahadevi.

In Second Century, There Was Rising Sea Water Level Situation ( This May Be The First Tsunami Situation Recorded Ins Sri Lanka) Occurred In Kalaniya. People Thought That It’s Due To The Sin Committed By The King Kalanithissa, By Ordering To Kill A Monk. So To Amend That Sin, He Was Asked To Sacrifice His Daughter , Princes Viharamahadevi By Setting Her Ashore.

After Her Landing To The Kirinda Area, King Kawanthissa, Who Ruled Ruhunu Kingdom, Welcomed Her And Later Got Married. It Is Believed That The Lhugala Magul Mahaviharaya Was Built On The Site, Where Their Wedding Took Place. They Got Two Sons, Prince Dutugamnu And Prince Thissa.

                                                Yatala Wehera

Yatala Wehera Is Located By The Hambanthota - Katharagama Road, In-Between Debarawewa And Thissamaharamaya.

Yatala Wehera Was Built By King Mahanaga Nearly 2300 Years Ago. King Mahanaga Was Regional King In Ruhunu Kingdom And Brother Of King Devanmpiyathissa, Who Ruled In Anuradhapura. This Temple Was Built To Commemorate The Birth Of His Son, Prince Yatala.

There Are Several Shapes Of Dagaba Can Be Found In Sri Lanka. Yatala Wehera Is A “Bubbulakara” ( Bubble Shape) Dagaba. This Pagoda Is Surrounded By Elephant Wall And A Lotus Pond. The Bubble Shape And The Elephant Wall Add Some Uniqueness To This Stupa. You Have To Cross A Small Metal Bridge Over The Lotus Pond To Reach The Dagaba.

Yatala Wehera Also Known As "Mani Chethiya" Or "Tooth Relic Shrine" In Some Of The Historical Records. This Dagaba Was Renovated Some Time Ago And Few Opening Were Kept, In Where You Can See The How It Was Prior To The Renovation And Various Layers Of Renovations.

Mahapelessa Hot  Springs

If You Are Looking For Those Places To Visit In Hambantota District Where You Can Sit Back And Relax, Then This Is It! It Is Because One Of The Unique Experiences Of Taking Bath In A Hot Spring Is Provided Here. This Place Attracts Several Locals And Tourists On A Regular Basis.

There Are 7 Hot Water Tanks With 7 Different Water Temperatures So One Can Choose From Which To Take Bath According To Their Comfort.

There Is Also A Small Park For Kids And A Place With Animals- Like Rabbits, Turkey, Hens And Fishes.

                               Birds Research Center and  Resort 

This Place Houses Magnificent Types Of Exotic Birds. One Can Even Feed The Parrots And Interact With Them Or Just See The Amazing Species Of Birds From All Around The World. Some Of The Rare And Endangered Species Of Asian Birds Can Also Be Sighted Here. There Is Also A Restaurant Inside In Case You Need To Satisfy Your Cravings For Sri Lankan Food.

Location, Nagara Lake, Hambantota, Tangalle, Sri Lanka

                                          Mirijjawila Botanic Garden

It Is One Of Those Places To Visit In Hambantota, Sri Lanka Where You Can Have The First-Hand Experience Of Nature. This Botanical Garden Has A Vast Variety Of Plants; It Is A Great Place To Be At For Plants Lovers. Even Though This Place Has An Impressive Flora Collection, It Is Not Highly Popularised - As A Result, The Tourists Are Generally Not Aware Of It.

It Is The Perfect Place To Study The Wide-Ranging Variety Of Plants For Nature Enthusiasts. One Can Hire A Vehicle And Even Take A Guided Tour Which Would Be More Informative As The Guides Have Thorough Knowledge About The Botanical Garden.

Location, Hambantota, Tangalle, Sri Lanka

  

                                            Walawe River Safari

Enjoy Calm And Relaxing River Safari While Seeing Various Birds And Crocodiles (One Has To Be Aware To Spot Them). The Beautiful Landscape Of Trees And Canopies Surrounding The River Is An Amazing Sight To See And Is A Tranquil Tourist Attraction. This Is What Make Sit One Of The Best Places To Visit In Hambantota, Sri Lanka For Adventure Enthusiasts And Nature Lovers.

Location, 1/81, Batata South, Hungama, Hambantota, Tangalle , Sri Lanka

                                    Ramba Viharaya  Hambanthota 

Ramba Viharaya Is An Extraordinarily Beautiful Historical And Archaeological Site. It Is A Buddhist Monastery Located On The Banks Of River Walawe. The Entire Place Is Surrounded By Lush Green Trees And Placid Environment.

Although Famous In The Country, It Is One Of The Less Visited Tourist Places. It Is Sure To Blow Your Mind With Its Amazing Archeology Cocooned In Totally Natural Surroundings.

Location: Hambantota, Sri Lanka

                    Sithulpawwa Buddhist Monastery 

                                        

It Is Also One Of The Ancient Buddhist Monasteries. The Panoramic View From The Monastery Is Absolutely Breathtaking. It Is A Religious Place With Archaeological Significance Dated To Be Centuries Old.
The Mere Journey To This Place Is Filled With Excitement As One Gets See Elephants And Other Wild Animals On Their Way.

Location: Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka

                                       Mulkirigala Rock Temple

This Too Is A Buddhist Temple Which Is Built On Natural High Rock. It Is One Of The Best Cultural Spots In Sri Lanka With Immense Historical Significance. The Rock Cave Temple Is Astonishing And Also Affords A Beautiful Scenic View. It Is A Very Famous Tourist Destination Owing To The Craftsmanship Of The Temple-Builders Of Old That Can Clearly Be Seen In Its Splendid Architecture, Drawing Hundreds Of Tourists And Pilgrims To It Every Year.

Location: 450 B | North Of Tangalle, Tangalle, Sri Lanka

                        Ruhunu Maha Katharagama  Devalaya

Kataragama Is A Sacred Town For Pilgrimage And A Very Famous Religious Place. It Is One Of The Most Sacred Places In The Country With A Serene And Calm Environment. It Attracts A Lot Of Tourists Every Year Who Come To See The Holy Place And Pay Their Respect To The Deities. Other Than Marveling At The Breathtaking Architecture, It Also Draws Peace-Seekers Since The Place Has Very Soothing Vibes That Are Sure To Calm And Revitalize Your Senses.

Location, Ruhunu Maha Kataragama Devalaya, Kataragama, Sri Lanka

                                       Kirivehera  Rajamaha Viharaya

Most Attractive One Of Temple You Can See Behind The Ruhunu Maha Katharagama Develaya, Actually This Point Out  Buddist  And Hindus Relationship  As Well. Behind The Dewalaya  You Can See Kiriwehera Buddhist Temple, Kiri Vehera Is An Ancient Stupa Situated In Katharagama.  Sri Lanka. This Stupa  Which Is 95 Ft. In Height With A Circumference Of 280 Ft. Venerable Kobawaka Dhamminda Thera Is The Present Chief Prelate Of Kirivehera  Rajamaha Viharaya.

Founder; King Mahasena (6^th Century Bc)