Explore more curated experiences in Ella
View all Ella toursHindu and Buddhist Temples Around Ella: A Guided Half-Day Tour
A guided circuit of the temples around Ella — Buddhist forest monasteries and the Hindu Ramayana sites of the hill country — with the context that makes them make sense.
Highlights
- The Mahameunawa forest monastery, quiet and genuinely in use
- The Dhowa rock temple and its unfinished 16-metre standing Buddha
- The Seetha Amman Ramayana temple and the rock said to hold Hanuman's footprints
- Estate temples built by Tamil workers brought from India from the 1830s
- Two traditions side by side, with the history that explains why
Hindu and Buddhist Temples Around Ella: A Guided Half-Day Tour: Key Facts
| Price | From $43.8 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 6 hours |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Full description
The hill country around Ella holds two religious traditions side by side, and understanding why is more interesting than photographing either.
The Buddhist sites are Sinhalese and old. The Mahameunawa Asapuwa above Ella is a forest monastery rather than a decorated temple — quiet, unornamented, and genuinely used, which after a week of painted shrine rooms lands very differently. The Dhowa rock temple near Bandarawela has a sixteen-metre standing Buddha carved into a rock face, unfinished, and murals in a small cave behind it.
The Hindu sites are here because of the Ramayana and because of the estates. The Seetha Amman temple at Seetha Eliya marks the valley where Sita is said to have been held by Ravana, and there are depressions in the rock across the stream that are pointed out as Hanuman's footprints. It is busy with Indian pilgrims rather than tourists. The other Hindu temples in the tea districts were built by and for the Tamil estate workers brought from southern India from the 1830s, and their presence is the visible trace of that history.
A guide is what turns a set of buildings into that story. Shoulders and knees covered, shoes off, and expect to be the only visitors at several stops.
Tour Itinerary
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Pickup in Ella
Collection from your hotel.
Mahameunawa Asapuwa
The forest monastery above town.
Dhowa rock temple
The unfinished standing Buddha and the cave murals.
Estate temples
Hindu shrines in the tea districts.
Seetha Amman temple
The Ramayana site at Seetha Eliya.
Drop-off
Back at your hotel.
Detailed Itinerary
[{"time": "09:00", "title": "The monastery", "description": "Shoes off, shoulders covered, voices down — it is in use."}, {"time": "10:30", "title": "Dhowa", "description": "The Buddha was never finished. The cave behind holds older murals."}, {"time": "13:30", "title": "Seetha Amman", "description": "Busy with Indian pilgrims. Shoes off well before the shrine."}, {"time": "14:30", "title": "Ella", "description": "Drop-off at your hotel."}]
Includes
- Private vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide, hotel pickup and drop-off in Ella, all driving between sites, guiding.
Excludes
- Temple donations, entrance fees where they apply, meals and drinks, gratuities.
Important information
Meeting point
Hotel pickup in Ella; the exact address and time are confirmed after booking.
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts