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Then proceed to Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. Visit the National Museum to get a glimpse into Sri Lankan history. Afterward, visit Dippaduttha Thai Raja Maha Vihara, where Prince Prisdang Jumsai from Thailand stayed during his monkhood in the late 19th century, hence the name of the temple. King Rama VIII and King Rama IX, as well as numerous Thai Royal Family members, visited this temple afterward. This temple was the first temple that hoisted a 6-coloured Buddhist flag in 1885 before it’s spreading as a unifying symbol for Buddhists throughout the world.

Check in at the Movenpick Hotel in Colombo

All day:

We will spend the whole day exploring Anuradhapura’s ancient monuments and ruins, monastic complexes, old town, and palaces, including the 6 most sacred Buddhist sites (Solosmasthana). The highlight includes the Sri Maha Bodhi Temple, home to the Sri Maha Bodhi Tree, which is said to be a scion of the original Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, India, a gift from King Ashoka of India to King Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura in the 3rd century BCE.  At the age of over 2,200 years, the Sri Maha Bodhi Tree is one of the oldest historically authenticated trees in the world.

Another site worth mentioning is Jetavanaramaya Temple, the massive stupa (dagoba) of which was said to be the third highest structure in the ancient world two millenniums ago, after only the two Great Pyramids of Giza.

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Check in at Heritance Kandalama Hotel in Dambulla

Visit the Dambulla Rock Cave Temple, the most impressive and best-preserved cave temple in Sri Lanka and a UNESCO World Heritage. The temple consists of a series of five caves that are intricately adorned with vibrant murals, statues, and carvings. The cave complex is believed to date back to the 1st century BCE and has been continuously maintained and expanded over the centuries. Visitors must climb up a large granite outcrop approximately 160 metres above the surrounding plains.

Visit Aluvihara Temple in Matale. This less-visited cave temple holds great significance to the history of Buddhism as in the 1st century BCE a council of monks gathered here to commit the oral teachings of the Buddha, the Tripitaka, to writing, which has served the preservation and propagation of Buddhism worldwide since then.

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Check in at Jetwing Kandy Gallery Hotel in Kandy.

After that, we will visit International Buddhist Museum located inside the temple. All Buddhist countries send their artifacts and artworks related to Buddhism to display in this Museum, hence providing the visitors an insight into the evolution of Buddhism worldwide.

Afterward, we will follow Venerable Upali Thero’s footsteps at Malwatta and Asgiriya Temples, the two main monastic complexes of the Siam Nikaya sect of Buddhism, which normally not allowed tourists to visit inside. These two temples serve as the residences of the two Mahanayaka Thero, the Chief Prelates of the Malwatta and Asgiriya Chapter of the Siam Nikaya. A monument of Venerable Upali Thero, and a small museum with artifacts from Ayudhya, can be found in these temples.

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Check in at Movenpick Hotel in Colombo

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Our first stop will be at Panadura, a small town where the acclaimed debate on Buddhism between British missionaries and Sinhalese monks took place in 1873. That debate sparked greater confidence in their faith among Buddhist Sinhalese and led to the movement to reclaim the proper place for Buddhism in Sri Lankan society.

The next stop will be at the less-visited Rajaguru Sri Subhuti Temple in Waskaduwa. In the late 19th century Prince Prisdang Jumsai from Thailand got ordained at this temple with Venerable Sri Subhuti as his preceptor, hence the name “Rajaguru” of the temple. More importantly, we will visit the inner chamber which houses the relics excavated from Piprahwa, and which is not normally open to visitors. As a well-respected scholar of ancient scriptures, Venerable Sri Subhuti rendered his advice to the excavation team led by the British archaeologist, Sir Alexander Cunningham, who in turn donated some relics to the Venerable in gratitude. The inscription on the casket found at Piprahwa, in which the relics were kept, was written in the Brahmi script in use during the Buddha’s time and identified the relic inside as belonging to the Buddha.

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Proceed to admire the sunset from the Galle Dutch Fort. Galle Fort, built by the Portuguese in the 16th century and later expanded by the Dutch and the British during their colonial rule, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most well-preserved colonial-era forts in the region. The fort is characterised by its sturdy ramparts, bastions, well-preserved colonial-era houses, and narrow cobblestone streets within its walls.

Check in at Jetwing Light House in Galle

Dinner and overnight at the hotel

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Then, visit a lesser-known Ranwella Purana Maha Vihara at Kathaluwa, a town about 20 kilometres away.  This temple houses the printing machine donated by King Rama IV to the Chief Prelate of Sri Paramananda. This printing machine produced the first printed journal on Buddhism in the Sinhalese language, as an effort to counter the active propagation of Christianity missionaries in Sri Lanka in the mid-19th century.

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Check in at Movenpick Hotel in Colombo for rest and dinner before going to the airport.

The Siam Society reserves the right to change the programme as necessary.