Why You'll Love Kataragama Kataragama is one of Sri Lanka's most important pilgrimage towns, its temple complex revered by Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and indigenous Vedda communities alike — dedicated to the deity Kataragama (Skanda/Murugan), and home each July-August to one of the island's most intense religious festivals.
A cluster of shrines shared across faiths, with Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim places of worship standing close together — see the Kataragama pilgrimage guide.
A dramatic annual festival held around July-August featuring fire-walking, kavadi dancing and processions, drawing pilgrims from across Sri Lanka.
Pilgrims traditionally bathe in the Menik Ganga river before entering the temple complex, a ritual still widely practised today.
Combine the Kataragama temple pilgrimage with a safari at nearby Yala or a night in Tissamaharama.
