Nainativu Island

Nainativu — known in Sinhala as Nagadeepa — is a small inhabited island in the Palk Strait, twenty minutes by passenger ferry from the Kurikadduwan jetty on the western edge of the peninsula. The crossing is short, the boats are local, and the rhythm of the day is set by the temple bells more than by any timetable.

The island holds two sacred sites within easy walking distance of the jetty. Nagadeepa Purana Vihara is one of the sixteen most venerated Buddhist sites in Sri Lanka, said in the Mahavamsa to be the spot where the Buddha himself mediated a dispute between two warring naga kings. The current dagoba and image house are 20th-century rebuilds; the older shrine sits within them. A short walk along the shore brings you to the Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Kovil, a Hindu temple to the goddess Parvati that is one of the 64 Shakti Peethams across South Asia. The painted gopuram is bright, the courtyard is lively in the morning, and during the annual June–July festival the place fills with pilgrims from across South India.

Visit the Buddhist vihara first — it is the closest to the jetty — then walk to the kovil through the village. Bring a sarong or shawl if your shoulders or knees are uncovered; both shrines expect modesty. Cameras are permitted in outer courtyards but not in inner sanctums. The last ferry back to the mainland leaves in mid-afternoon; check the time on the boat you arrived on.