Three ancient stupas and two ancient irrigation reservoirs make Tissamaharama worth a stop on the northern side, the town is bounded by lovely expanses of paddy fields. In the middle of the paddy fields is the Santagiri or Sandagiri dagoba, the largest stupa in Tissamaharama. This town will tell you a fractured story of when it was a great kingdom under King Kavantissa; the father of Sri Lanka’s most powerful warrior king, Dutugemunu. Even then, it was a gateway of sorts with its massive temples and gigantic reservoirs.
Tissamaharama is offset by the massive Tissa Wewa reservoir, a remnant of the former majesty of the olden kingdoms. It is a quiet and breezy little town that makes for the perfect entry point to both Yala and Bundala National Park as well as the pilgrim town of Kataragama where sits a shrine to Katharagama Deviyo, a guardian deity and the Hindu god of war. It is venerated today by Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims alike.
