Leg 148, Koggala, Sri Lanka to Visakhapatnam, Bay of Bengal, India
DAY01_17.PLN (8.4 KB)
Sri Lanka is very nice, would love to visit for real some time
01-16 Koggala VCCK 7:22 PM
01-16 Katukurunda AB VCCN 7:38 PM
01-16 Colombo VCCC 7:46 PM
01-16 Bandaranaike Intl Colombo VCBI 7:57 PM Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Capital inside Colombo
01-16 Amparai VCCG 8:40 PM
01-16 Batticaloa AB VCCB 8:49 PM
01-16 Minneriya VCCH 9:10 PM
01-16 Sigiriya VCCS landmark 9:25 PM
01-16 Anuradhapura AB VCCA 9:39 PM Ruwanwelisaya Stupa, Bodhi Tree, sapling to Nagpur, India
01-16 Vavuniya VCCV 9:53 PM
01-16 Iranamuda VCKI 10:08 PM Dirt road street view, palm leaves stuck on the camera
01-16 Tanjore VOTJ 10:52 PM
01-16 Tiruchirappalli VOTR 11:11 PM
01-16 Puduchery VOPC 11:47 PM
01-17 Tambaram VOTX 12:12 AM
01-17 Chennai Intl VOMM 12:19 AM
01-17 Arkonam VOAR 12:34 AM
01-17 Tirupati VOTP 12:49 AM
01-17 Nagarjuna Sagar VONS 1:59 AM
01-17 Vijayawada VOBZ 2:37 AM
01-17 Tadepallegudem VATA 2:54 AM
01-17 Rajahmundry VORY 3:08 AM
01-17 Vishakhapatnam VOVZ 3:47 AM
Flight time 8:22 1,138nm 22 stops
Early early dawn at Kutukurunda on the West coast, Laccadive Sea
Colombo, the commercial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, aka Kotte, the official administrative capital of Sri Lanka
A satellite city and located within the urban area of Colombo
It looks like Colombo is losing beach front as well
Independence square on the left. Sri Lanka gained independence from British rule in 1948
Lotus Tower on the right, 365 meters, great place to view the city from
Also plenty religious sites around the city, 1909 Jami Ul Alfar Mosque mosque on the left
Gangaramaya temple and Seema Malakaya to the right
A selection from the national museum of Sri Lanka
The weather was unruly early morning, thunderstorms on the way to Amparai
Heavy rain near Adhikarigama
Clearing up a bit, sun spotted
Crossing the Ganga river
Crossing the maha Oya (Oya river) near Rambukkana
Minneriya, near Minneriya lake which was built by King Mahasena of Anuradhapura (ruled 277 to 304 AD)
Minneriya wewa (tank, reservoir) and Minneriya National Park, hot spot for safari lovers
Manihira (Minneriya) is the largest of the 16 tanks build by King Mahasen
Sigiriya or Sinhagiri, ancient rock fortress near the town of Dambulla
King Kashyapa (477-495 AD) built his palace on the top of this rock
Abandoned after the King’s death, it was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century
The path to the top and lion gate on the right
Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site as one of the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning
View of Sigiriya from Pidurangala, best place to view Sigiriya, popular place for hiking
Pidurangala is also home to a 48ft long sleeping Buddha
Anaradhapura Air Base
Ruwanwelisaya stupa, 140 BC sacred Buddhist site, 338ft high stupa
Nearby is Jetavanaramaya, the world largest stupa, build by King Mahasen (273-301 AD)
One of the tallest structures in the ancient world, 400ft high, and the largest brick building ever built
Jaya Siri Maha Bodhi Tree Court, a sacred fig tree in the Mahamewna Gardens, Anuradhapura
It is said to be the southern branch from the historical Sri Maha Bodhi at Buddha Gaya in India under which Lord Buddha attained Enlightenment. Planted in 288 BC, it is the oldest living human-planted tree with a known planting date. Today it is one of the most sacred relics of the Buddhists in Sri Lanka and respected by Buddhists all over the world.
Leaving Sri Lanka behind already, on the way to Thuraikkuda, India
Thambikkottai, Tamil Nadu, India
Tanjore in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu
Brihadeeswara temple on the left, 11th century Chola dynasty–era complex
Maratha palace middle and right, 16th century fortress
Tiruchirappalli, also called Tiruchi or Trichy
The Kaveri (center) and Kollidam (right) rivers flow around Srirangam Island
Home to the ancient Rock Fort Temple complex towering over the city
Thayumanaswami Temple, Rockfort, build in the 6th century
Chennai International Airport
Chennai on the bay of Bengal at the end of the Adyar river
Home to fort St George, first British fortress built in India, established in 1644
Edword Elliot’s beach with the Karl Schmidt memorial, commemorating a European sailor who drowned in 1930 while saving the life of a girl. The English girl attended a party the following evening as though nothing had happened. The then governor, who was apparently angry with her, built the memorial to mark Schmidt’s gallant act.
And Santhome Cathedral Basilica, rebuilt in 1896 at the site of St. Thomas Apostle’s tomb.
Near the Kailasakona Waterfalls
Sri Venkateswara Swamy Vaari Temple, Tirumala
Venkatagiri Hills Nature Preserve
Passing Narrawada
Near Gajjalakonda
Vijayawada on the Krishna River in the southeast Indian state of Andhra Pradesh
The Paraksam Barrage across the Krishna river
Paraksam barage and the missing train bridges in the screenshot above
Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla, pilgrimage destination dedicated to the goddess Kanaka Durga
Undavalli caves, carved-stone temple from the 4th century on the South-West side of the river
The sacred Godavari river at Rajamundry
Rajamundry, on the eastern banks of the Godavari River
Along the river, Hindu devotees bathe in the Godavari from Saraswati and Pushkar ghats (bathing steps)
Briefly climbed above the low hanging clouds over Yerravaram
Last stop today, Visakhapatnam, port city on the Bay of Bengal
Next up, further North towards the Himalayas