Dambulla
Dambulla’s cave shrines were first used in the 1st century BC and have been in continuous use and renovation ever since. 150 gilded Buddha statues and ceiling murals that cover every surface in imagery spanning two thousand years. The quality of the interior light changes through the day – late afternoon is softest. A specialist […]
Kandy
Kandy carries a weight that the other cities don’t quite match – the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic at its centre, the lake beneath the hills, the Kandyan dance tradition and the Esala Perahera festival in July and August when the streets fill with elephants, drummers and fire. The Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya are […]
Polonnaruwa
Polonnaruwa was the island’s capital from the 10th to the 13th century and what remains is unusually complete and compact. The Royal Palace, the Sacred Quadrangle and the Gal Vihara – where a 15-metre reclining Buddha and a 7-metre standing Buddha were carved from the same granite rock face – are extraordinary by any standard. […]
Anuradhapura
Founded in the 4th century BC, Anuradhapura was the island’s capital for over a millennium and the scale of what remains is extraordinary. The Sri Maha Bodhi Tree – a cutting from the original Bodhi Tree planted in 288 BC – is considered the most sacred tree on earth. The Ruwanwelisaya Dagoba stands 55 metres […]
Sigiriya
The hydraulic water gardens at the base are engineering from the 5th century AD. The frescoes painted onto the sheer rock face have survived 1,500 years of weather. The Mirror Wall is inscribed with devotional poetry spanning a thousand years of visitors. The summit view at first light, across the Cultural Triangle, is everything the […]