Kataragama Tour Packages from Malaysia

Kataragama is unlike anywhere else in Sri Lanka. This small town on the edge of the dry zone, just outside the boundary of Yala National Park, holds one of the most important pilgrimage sites in South Asia — a complex of shrines revered simultaneously by Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims who come to worship side by side. The Maha Devale, dedicated to the war god Skanda (Murugan), is the centre of the complex and the focus of the famous Esala Perehera procession in July and August, when elephants and fire-walkers circle the shrine. For Sri Lankan pilgrims, Kataragama carries the same weight that Mecca carries for Muslims or Jerusalem for Christians. As a visitor, the atmosphere — especially at dusk when the oil lamps are lit and the drumming begins — is one of the most affecting experiences on the island. The drive from Colombo follows the south coast through Galle and the beaches before turning inland through the elephant country of the south. Yala National Park is minutes from the town. Dhesu has been arranging southern Sri Lanka journeys since 1988.