The South - Sri Lanka - page 303

evening walks). In the other direction, tangled woodlands and sweeps of parched grass-
lands merge into the national parks.
Sights & Activities
The village itself centres on a Buddhist shrine dramatically perched atop huge round rocks
right at the shore. Visible offshore are the wave-smashed Great Basses reefs with their
lonely lighthouse .
The diving out on these reefs is ranked as about the best in the country, but it's not for
inexperienced divers - conditions are often rough. The best time is only between mid-
March and mid-April.
Kirinda Temple BUDDHIST
Kirinda centres on this Buddhist shrine piled atop huge round rocks. It is dedicated to
Queen Viharamahadevi, who lived in the 2nd century BC and is at the heart of an old fa-
vourite story. When raging waters threatened Ceylon, King Kelanitissa ordered his young-
est daughter, then a princess, into a boat as a sacrifice. The waters were calmed and the
princess miraculously survived. Some 2000 years later, the temple was a place of refuge
during the 2004 tsunami.
Sleeping
Guesthouses and hotels are scattered all around the Kirinda area. Some are at Yala Junc-
tion, 1.6km north of town where the road to the national park branches off from the
Tissa-Kirinda Rd. Others are strung along the wave-tossed beaches to the west.
Temple Flower Guesthouse GUESTHOUSE
( 077 881 4679, 492 2499; www.templeflower19yala.com ;r Rs 2500-3000; )
A delicious little guesthouse in town with a wonderful green colonial-style verandah
shared between five tidy rooms, some with sea views. The cafe is good and the welcome is
as warm as they come.
Suduweli Beauties of Nature GUESTHOUSE
( 072 263 1059; www.beauties-of-nature.net ; Yala Jct;r US$22-52; )