Hello my loving Hive Travelers,

Welcome to my travel blog. How are you guys? I believe everything are fine with your effort. Kataragama is a sacred city in the Ruhunu Magampura pattuwa of the Monaragala district of Sri Lanka, which is rich in historical and traditional values. I had the opportunity to visit the sacred city of Kataragama the other day. I hope to present some of the unique features I saw during that visit through this content. In fact, it is stated in history books that the sacred city of Kataragama is a city that has existed since ancient times. It is mentioned that this sacred city has existed since the times of the gods. In particular, Kataragama can also be considered the site of Lord Sri Skanda Kumara. It can be seen that many devotees visit this place regularly.

If you are coming to Kataragama Pooja City from Colombo, you can go to Lunugamvehera after passing the Mattala entrance on the Southern Expressway and from there you can reach Kataragama. You can also come to Kataragama via the Colombo-Matara main road and travel to Kataragama via Tissamaharama. In addition, you can also reach Kataragama Pooja City from Monaragala. We parked our vehicle at a certain place in Kataragama Pooja City and were walking to Kataragama Pooja City. There we saw many shops selling various types of offerings. There are many shops selling fruit offerings for the gods in Kataragama Pooja City. In addition, you can see many shops selling items needed for children and adults. But the special feature that I see in these places is that the prices here are higher than the prices in other cities.

In Kataragama city, there are shops on every street where you can buy any item you need. In addition, you can also arrange for banking facilities. Unlike in the past, the entrances to the Kataragama sacred city are paved with interlocking stones, which is a relief for the devotees. In the past, they had to walk on dirt, so during the rainy season they had to walk through mud puddles. Ornamental plants have been planted to add more beauty to the environment of this Kataragama region. It is a valuable urban planning concept. This area is of great value because there are many old and large trees in this area.

After entering the Kataragama sacred city, we had to walk on a bridge to reach the shrines. Below that bridge flows the Menik River. From there, we saw many features and shapes similar to those found at the Sanchi Stupa in India at the Kataragama sacred site. In particular, several gold-plated statues with the image of a lion could be seen at the site. In addition, the various carvings and designs seen at the Sanchi Stupa in India indicate that this has received Indian influence. In particular, since the Lord Sri Skanda Kumara, who was enshrined in the Kataragama site, is related to Hinduism, Indian tradition may have been an influence here. That is probably why South Indian devotees still visit the Kataragama shrines today.

After viewing the beautiful golden colored objects, we headed straight towards the area where the Menik River is located. We slowly descended the stairs and went down to take a dip in the Menik River, where we could see a large number of fish. Since these fish are very fond of eating popcorn, the three of us bought three packets of popcorn, broke them and threw them into the water to feed the fish. We saw the fish jumping up and down in the water with great joy to eat the popcorn. It can actually be considered a great merit that we have done. In addition, since the water level of the Menik River had also risen very high, it was risky to go down to the Menik River. Red notices had also been issued regarding this.

We usually visit Kataragama during the dry season. But this time, visiting Kataragama during a period of heavy rain was a different experience. We had the opportunity to visit at a time when the water level was very high. Here we had the opportunity to see the water capacity of the Menik River, which flows very rough. Even going into the water in a place like Menik River, where crocodiles live in abundance, was risky, so they did not care about us.

After coming down from the Menik River, we all walked over the bridge and entered the Kataragama sacred ground. Here we saw a beautiful sight. Special thanks should be given to the Kataragama Municipal Council and the temple administration for that. It is a pleasure for any devotee to see the Kataragama sacred ground, where the urban concept has been developed very well. The garden has been well maintained with ornamental plants and flowers planted in a very attractive manner, which shows that the eco-friendly concept is being maintained very well at the Kataragama sacred ground. We are really happy about it. Because we have the opportunity to have a different experience.

Since the sun had set so strongly on the sacred ground of Kataragama, it was difficult to even walk barefoot. In such a situation, walking barefoot should be considered important for the sake of Buddhism and Hinduism, which we believe in with great faith. In maintaining the garden in a very beautiful way, we can see the interest these people show for the environment. We could see really beautiful plants and flowers here. Although touching them was prohibited, there was no prohibition for an environmentally friendly person to do so.

There are three main objects of Buddhism that Buddhist devotees worship with great devotion, and the first one to be seen at the Kataragama sacred site is the Dagoba. This Dagoba was built recently. Beyond it is the Bodhi tree, the second object of worship in Buddhism. Below it is the Buddha Mandir, which has various architectural designs and traditional carvings. The paintings and decorations are among the most exquisite. This newly constructed part of the Kataragama sacred site really adds more value both architecturally and historically.

Next, we reached the Kataragama Museum in the Kataragama Sacred Site. All the cultural and artistic collections, including ancient artifacts, ruins, artworks, artistic creations, pottery and clay designs, from the Kataragama area and a little further away, were displayed here. The entrance fee was actually 150 rupees, which was not a huge amount considering the wealth of knowledge we gained. It is truly commendable to establish a place in the Kataragama Sacred Site to collect such historical artifacts. We found that there were many things to learn about history in the Kataragama Museum. In fact, being able to enter it gave us an opportunity to refresh our knowledge and learn some unknown facts. Since photography and video recording were prohibited inside, it was not possible to show the artworks inside.

A new pond has been built at the Kataragama sacred site to renew the urban concept and enhance its beauty. Several types of lotus and lotus plants have been planted here, which have produced flowers. There are also several large old trees here, which add more value to both the historical and natural environment. It should be noted that the Kataragama sacred site is currently in a very clean condition due to constant cleaning. There are now many special facilities for the devotees.

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