Trincomalee: A gem that is overlooked.
Trincomalee: A gem that is overlooked.
CONTENTS
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NILAVELI
Sri Lanka is
one of the popular tourist attractions that are known for stunning view, rich
history, and diversity in culture. All the sites in the country that are known
to be tourist destinations are unique with respect to their location, be it
Nuwara-Eliya from the central, Jaffna from North or Galle from the South. One
of the least explored areas in Sri Lanka by tourists and natives is the
northern and east-coastal areas. It is usually one of the least visited places
due the extreme weather conditions in those provinces, especially during
Summer, making both locals and tourists shy away from visiting such places that
have historically and culturally rich sites, diverse wildlife, and uniquely
spell-bounding water bodies. Trincomalee is located in east-coast Sri Lanka and
is framed by sea from three sides, and it is a natural beauty and cultural
heritage of Sri Lanka. It is known for its stunning beaches, natural deep-water
harbor, and diverse wildlife. Furthermore, we can also point out the pilgrimage
sites of Trincomalee, which have numerous pilgrims visiting them from around
the world, and they are Thirukoneswaram Temple, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Seruwila
Mangala Raja Maha Vihara, and few more. Like any other places in Sri Lanka Trincomalee
is also affected by culturally diverse people, which makes this place more
interesting. Apart from the religious sites Trinco is also famous for Lover’s
Leap or Ravana’s cleft (as the locals call it), Nilaveli and Uppuveli beaches, Kanniyayi
hot water springs, pigeon island and several sanctuaries and parks.
Trincomalee is located 266.3 Kms from the Capital and will take
around 5 hours and 24 minutes if you take the road and travel via
Ambepussa-Kurunegala-Trincomalee. In between the journey to reach the destination
you may come across several roadside restaurants that sell snacks and drinks to
pump up your energy levels while enduring the 5-hour-long journey. If your
driver is knowledgeable enough to pinpoint some important sites that you pass
by while driving through the Kurunegala and Anuradhapura roads, be ready to
strain yourselves to take a glimpse at them, for mostly they are covered with
stubborn and moody clouds.
Anyone who is interested in receiving
the most out of the visit to the Thirukoneswaram Temple is advised to leave
early to do so, for the earlier you leave the easier you can resist the heat of
Trinco for it worsens as the time passes. Thirukoneswaram temple or Thirukonamalai
konesar temple, which is one of the Pancha Ishwarams (five main Shiva Temples
in Sri Lanka), is a classical-medieval temple that is a well-known cultural
site as well, moreover, as our guide pointed out during the journey, this is
located on top of a large rocky promontory and is dedicated to lord Shiva. Even
before we could start to climb the rocky promontory, we can get a glimpse of
the enormous statue for lord Shiva, which glistens under the sizzling hot Sun,
overlooking the town of Trinco, as the symbolize the name of the Temple,
Thirukoneswaram (Lord of the Hill).
As we began to climb, we encountered some monkeys jumping and making noises as the pilgrims passed by, creating ruckus and excitement among tourists and locals, while some fed those monkeys the others maintained their distance from them. Numerous pilgrims purchased offerings, such as incense, flowers, and food, for deities from local shops, which were lined on both sides of the passage that leads to the temple on the hill. We heard the Hindu chants as we reached the temple and the thousand pillared hall, which has a splendid black granite finishing and a thousand gold-plated pillars. We were then guided to one of the highest parts of the hill by the guide, from which we can get a clear glimpse of the Raavanan’s cleft and the Fort Frederick. Several Locals were seen enchanted by the splendid view and began to take photographs of the scenery. The guide decided to take us through the history behind the ‘Raavanan’s Cleft,’ he said that Raavanan, who ruled over Sri Lanka from this very Hill, decided to display his biggest devotion to Lord Shiva in the form of dividing the hill and thus creating this cleft. Furthermore, this is also known as the ‘Lover’s Leap’ because this Hill has been a witness to numerous fatal falls due to heart breaks. In fact, a pillar at the site records a tragic event that dates back to the 17th century and is used to preserve the memory of a woman named Francisca van Reed who took her life by falling off this cliff because of heart break. It was interesting to know that this site, which is known for its religious reasons and breathtaking view, also has a disturbing history.
Kanniyayi Hot Springs is a complex located
in Gomerankadawela, and it takes a journey of 14 minutes and 10.4 kms, if you
take the A12 Puttalam-Anuradhapura-Trincomalee Road from Trinco Town to reach
this site. This archeological site/monument is open from 7am-7pm and the ideal
time to pay a visit to this place is in the morning, for the place starts to
get crowded afterwards. The visitors are supposed to pay the entrance fee at
the gate, and it costs just 50 Sri Lankan Rupees for an adult to enter this
historical site. It is revealed that this place is currently managed by Pradeshiya
Sabha (local council), and it is under the authority of the Department of
Archeological Sri Lanka.
This place is comprised of seven hot
springs, each with slightly varying temperatures. The average temperature of
the springs is 42o C and the wells are conserved by walls that were
developed surrounding each of the springs. This monument is considered as a
natural phenomenon, since the geologists are still baffled by the fact that the
wells differ in temperature from one another. Even though this warmth is caused
by geothermal activity under the rocks beneath the wells, there are no such
proven theories as to how and why the wells have unique temperatures. We were
told, by the guide, that the people believe this warm water to have surprising
therapeutic and medicinal qualities, cure for skin issues and bodily ailments,
and also adds soothing and calmness to mind and soul. We could hardly disagree
with the speculations when we touched and felt the water ourselves, and this
water did not fail our expectations as it genuinely calmed and relaxed our
nerves, and injected a new energy into our body, making us feel as excited as
ever to continue to rinse our face and feet with it. So, this experience is one
of a kind, and if you are touring around Trincomalee then do not miss the
chance to indulge in this mind-blowing experience.
While the East-coastal area of Sri Lanka is best known for
its beautiful beaches, departing from Trinco without paying your visit to one
of such beauties is a humongous loss from a traveler’s perspective. Nilaveli
and Uppuveli beaches are located in the coastal line of Trincomalee, getting
them placed among the finest beaches of Sri Lanka. Nilaveli is the closest to
the town, making us choose this as our final destination in our tour around
Trinco, even though Uppuveli is just fifteen minutes away from Nilaveli.
If you have visited
this beach at least once in your lifetime, then you will definitely agree with
what is about to be expressed. It was around 4pm when we reached the beach, and
it was the right time to witness the setting Sun. As nature enthusiasts point
out, only the Sun Set can compete with the serenity of Sun Rise, and we saw
this come to life on our visit to Nilaveli. The sky was mesmerizing with shades
of blue, pink, and orange, as if a painter finger-fashioned the clouds to look
that way, reflecting the disappearing light as beautiful as ever. Trinco, yet again,
surpassed our imagination, as we did not expect the east-coastal beach to look
this serene and exceptional even during the Sun Set. Apart from the sky, the
beach of course mirrored the sky with its clear water, and this was backed up
by the pearl-like sands, which are hard to find on beaches back home. Nilaveli
is among the prominent tourist destinations not only because it is visually
treating, but also due to the way it maintains cleanliness and its natural
state, which is untouched by any artifice.
There are numerous resorts and stays
around the beaches and town of Trinco, and you can choose one from a number of
travel blogs that cites stays and resorts of Trincomalee with the relevant
details. Trincomalee is also a place that has a majority of Tamil people, and
this is a valid reason for one to come across several South-Indian or
vegetarian restaurants in every street. Choosing these restaurants to have your
meals is recommended, because the price levels are quite reasonable, the
quality and quantity of the food items are impressive, and they are also easily
found all around Trincomalee.
While we drove back home, the only
thing that rendered in our minds was that how come such a gem of a tourist
destination receives very little recognition among the tourists and locals, in
fact this location is filled with naturally gifted sites, and it is sad that
people fail to appreciate this place as much as any other popular destinations
around the nation. However, the beaches, and archeological monuments and sites,
are not ruined or spoilt only because of the amount of exposure it receives
from the tourist industry. If such hidden gems are still authentic and
vulnerable only because of not being celebrated or recognized as much as they
should be, then it is definitely a blessing in disguise. At the end of the day,
anyone who is a travel enthusiast will explore such overlooked destinations,
even if it receives poor recognition among the rest of the travel industry or
business.
References:
Trincomalee
in Legend and History (kataragama.org)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koneswaram_Temple
Kanniya
Hot Springs - Love Sri Lanka
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/sri-lanka/the-east/nilaveli/attractions/nilaveli-beach/a/poi-sig/1195196/357467
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