Kataragama is a place where Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and indigenous Vedda spiritual traditions converge around a shared belief in the divine power of the deity Kataragama, known to Hindus as Murugan and to Buddhists as Skanda. The pilgrimage precinct, set within a forested sanctuary beside the Menik Ganga river, is filled with devotees year-round, and its rituals, including fire-walking and kavadi processions, are among the most intense and spiritually charged in Sri Lanka.