Tissa Maha Dagoba (Tissa great stupa)
Most impressive is the restored Maha Stupa, built by King Kavantissa in the 3rd century BC located between Tissa town centre and the tank. It was the largest dagoba in the island at the time. Today, for Buddhist pilgrims, it is one of the sixteen most sacred sites (Solosmasthana) in the country. The dagoba has a circumference of 165m & stands 55.8m high, is enshrined with sacred tooth relic & forehead bone relic of Buddha.
Next to the dagoba is a statue of Queen Vihara Maha Devi, the heroine of the nation & mother of the hero of the nation, King Dutugamunu.
Wirawila Wewa (Wirawila rain water reservoir) Bird Sanctuary
Between the northern & southern turn-offs to Tissa, the Hambantota Wellawaya road runs on a causeway across the large Wirawila Wewa (Reservoir). The best time for bird watching is early morning.
Kirinda
Kirinda is a small but beautiful village on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, 10 km south of Tissa & close to Kataragama. It has a beautiful beach and a Buddhist shrine built on a huge round rock. The area is also close to the Great and Little Basses reefs which provide some of the most spectacular scuba diving in the country. Kirinda was used as a land base by Arthur C. Clarke's party when diving for the Great Basses wreck (Treasures of the Reef).
One of the most well-known attractions in Kirinda is the statue of Queen Vihara Maha Devi, the heroine of the nation & mother of the hero of the nation, King Dutugamunu. This is situated on the spot where she is said to have landed after being set adrift on the sea from Kelaniya.
Comments