Although the region took place is known, first of all, with its cool, practically idyllic beaches, the town boasts a few cultural objects of great interest to a curious tourist. So, the main attractions of Geruvela:
Lighthouse Barberin
Also known as Mayak Beauvaly Lighthouse is located on a tiny island of Barberin with an area of 3.25 hectares. This island is 800 meters from the shore of the city of Peruvel (and 56 kilometers south of the Colombo Lighthouse). The height of the lighthouse is 34 meters (and 46 meters above sea level), it is white and beautiful conical shape. His construction was completed in November 1889 - that is, he has been more than 125 years old! In 1969, he was "upgraded", replacing old optical equipment (on the Chance Brothers created by the famous English company). Another modernization was expected by the Lighthouse in 2000 - introduced the DGPS system (the system of increasing the accuracy of GPS signals) - now the lighthouse was associated with other major beacons throughout the country. Barberin Lighthouse is one of the four international lighthouses in Sri Lanka.
Mosque Kishimalay
Well, a little less than a third of the population of the town - Muslims. Geruwalo - the most Muslim city of Kalutar district (in a common mass in Sri Lanka Islam, almost 10% of the population are confirmed). It is not surprising that it is here that we will find, perhaps, the most beautiful mosque on the island. This is a mosque of Kishimalay and she is at the end of the port of Beruvel. High "lace" white mosque in Arabic architectural style The coconut palm trees in the most picturesque way. She can already be seen with Galle Road - what to say - snow-white minarets of the mosque are visible from all over the resort. The history of the mosque is washed with myths and legends, and one of them is a whole civilization that was created around this mosque. This mosque is one of the oldest on the island. Locals will be happy to hold you a mini-tour of the mosque. The main thing - the girls are correctly dressed (head, shoulders, legs are closed).Temple of Cand Vihara
This temple is located in the south of the city, 700 meters inside the island from the mouth of the Bentota Ganga River. Buddhist temple is the most important tourist attraction of this area and the whole Sri Lanka! The temple on the top of the hill was built in 1734. His most prominent part is a giant gold statue of Buddha, 48 meters high, is, it seems like, the highest statue of Buddha in the lotus position in the world, and see it from afar. Definitely, this is one of the most ideal places of the island, away from the noise and fuss. When you go to the temple, dressed something more authentic in order not to embarrass monks. As always, at the entrance to the temple it is necessary to remove the shoes - prepare for the fact that the shoes will have to be left in a pile of shale of other visitors (but no need to be afraid, your sneakers do not steal. The temple is a stunning spectacle! Actually, inside the statue and the temple itself is located, and the colorful drawings on the walls reflect the scenes of the Buddha life (including sins and tsunami) - an amazing huge comic! Before the temple, you can see a small lake with fish and lawn, where you can stay.
Mosque Masdzhid-Ul-Abrar
The mosque is the south of the Kishchimalay mosque (about half a kilometer from it). It is believed that it was built in the 920th of our era of the first Muslims who arrived on the island - precisely from here, according to legends, Islam spread on the island. This is a sick symbol of Islam on Sri Lanka. According to the book "Sunahar", even the name of the city of Peruvel may have happened from "Be-ruwala", which means "minimize the sail" (and sails of Arabs-merchants, who arrived to the shores of the island on their ships and smashed the village, hospitably accepted by local Singhales). But how to live without a mosque? So I had to build in order to pray diligently five times a day. The modern view of the mosque was attached in 1986 - today to 3,000 believers can pray at the same time.
Temple of Spagoda Sri Maha Vihara
Sri Maha Vihara Spagoda - the historic temple, erected in 1750. This pride is not only earveled, but also the whole area of Kalutar. Once in a small town was a single temple, where all the parishioners did not even fit - therefore it was decided to build another temple, which today can boast of beautiful paintings and doors. The temple has three huge statues: Buddha in the lotus position, lying Buddha and standing Buddha. Sitting Buddha in a height of more than 5 meters. Length is about 8 meters. In addition, there are still 24 huge statues in the temple - such in other temples will not see! Currently, the temple is one of the most famous temples in the district.
Chinese Fort (Chin Fort)
The area known as the "Chinese Fort" is closer to the north of Beruvela and this is a well-known center for trafficking gemstones. Traders in this area and miners from Ratnapur (area in the central part of the island) for centuries supported close ties. Almost the whole area was involved in the trafficking stones - trade does not stop and today! Trade of precious pebbles in Gerouvel dates back to the epoch, when Berbers from the North of Africa - from Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia moved across the ocean on this island on their merchant ships in search of spices and gems. Actually, I wrote about this above. At first, the natives of Sri Lanka call the Arabs "Mukkara", and their descendants - "Morokalae", - from here the common name of this Arab community - "Marakkala". Even today, precious stones, faced in traditional style, are called "Mukkarage" here. Today, this bazaar works every day, from 10:00 to 14:30, and there are thousands of people! Jewelry on this market is born from the whole country and even from other parts of the world, for example, from Madagascar, from Tanzania, India, Burma, Mozambique, Malawi and other places. Buyers here are also the most different - from all cities of Sri Lanka, from the USA, India, Japan, Great Britain, Germany, France, China, Indonesia and Thailand.
Church of St. Anna
This church is located in the north of the city, along the main road. And this is perhaps the greatest church in South Sri Lanka. The catholic church of the gentle-beige color is already more than a century, and it is still taking parishioners to this day - and local and tourists.
