Sri Lanka in Popular Culture

Released in 1984, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was directed by Steven Spielberg and starred Harrison Ford as “Indy”, an archaeologist /explorer/ saviour of the world.

The Temple of Doom was originally supposed to be filmed in Rajasthan in northern India, but permission was denied because Indian government found the script too offensive. Instead, Spielberg relocated much of the filming to Kandy and its surrounding areas in 1983.

‘Mayapore’ village was built on the grounds of the government-owned Hantana Tea Estate and Plantation, 7.5kms from Jungle Tide on the road to Kandy. There are multiple filming locations across the estate, and you can also search for the ‘Sankara Stone Shrine’ hidden in the undergrowth. 

A superb website guide to the locations in Hanthana with photos showing the film and the location can be found here.

The infamous rope-bridge in the film was built across a 300 foot-deep gorge a few hundred metres downriver from the Victoria Dam, north of Kandy. As the dam was still under construction, there was a convenient supply of engineers and equipment to string the bridge. 

Directions to the bridge and some comparison photos from the film to real life can be found here

The elephant ride to the ‘Palace of Pankot’ makes use of the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. Established in 1975 as an orphanage, nursery and captive breeding ground for wild Asian elephants, and with over 60 elephants, Pinnawala boasts the largest captive herd in the world. Some people have concerns about animal welfare in relation to the Elephant Orphanage; we suggest you look online and judge for yourself whether this is a place you are happy to visit.