The remains of the Alahena Pirivena, a huge monastic complex, were uncovered thanks to funding from UNESCO. And this is just one of the complexes in the city of monasteries built by Parakrama Bahu outside the walled city of Polonnaruwa .

Although there’s nothing like on site exploration, Polonnaruwa Archaeological Museum is a must for anyone trying to understand this site. The buildings are reconstructed in maps, outlines and models. Remarkable statues.

The holy site of Medirigiriya is known for its Mandalagiri Vihara, a vatadage (circular temple) built on a rock; 68 pillars in 3 concentric rows raise their sculpted tips up to the sky. They surround a dagoba framed by 4 buddhas at the 4 cardinal p..

Dambulla Rock Temple is a major pilgrimage site with 157 statues of the Buddha in various postures - sitting, standing and reclining - and remarkable 18C Buddhist rock paintings. Tourists are not allowed to use the pilgrim’s way to reach the esplanad..

The Sri Dalada Maligawa houses the Relic of the Buddha’s Tooth, still the object of fervent worship. It is preserved in the 6 th casket in a set of cases, itself enclosed inside a gold reliquary protected by a gold railing. A real fortress!

The ancient royal palace with its many outbuildings is located on the north shore of Lake Kandy . The white-walled complex is elegantly outlined against the dark backdrop of Udawattakele Forest. Don’t miss the National Museum in the Queen’s Palace a..

In various eras (14C-18C) the Singhalese sovereigns erected a sanctuary devoted to each of the four gods watching over the holy city of Kandy . The temples dedicated to Vishnu and Natha are the most remarkable, attracting a great many worshippers.

Overlooking Kandy to the north, Udawattakele Forest Reserve is a lush environment and a haven for numerous monkeys and many species of birds (Layard parakeets, yellow-headed bushtits and blue-winged leafbirds). For your safety it is advisable not t..

Past rulers harnessed the power of the Mahaweli in Peradeniya, then the British created a botanical garden here in the 19C. Now the largest garden on the island, it boasts a vast range of tropical plants from here and elsewhere including orchids, pal..

Kataragama Devale, Lankatilaka and Gadaladeniya Viharaya form a group of temples founded in the 14C before Kandy became the capital of the Singhalese kingdom. The centrepiece here is a striking dig-ge (hypostyle drummers’ room preceding the temple..

Elephants have always been revered in the Buddhist faith, from the animals in ritual processions, caparisoned in gold and silver to the favourite iconographic themes on rock paintings and bas-reliefs. The island is concerned about the fate of its ele..

The outline of Adam’s Peak forms a perfect cone. This holy mountain has the distinction of reconciling all the different religions, each one seeing the mark of its own god in the footprint stamped on its summit. There are 4,500 steps to the top, clim..

Sinharaja is the last example of primary tropical rainforest on the island, boasting a profusion of native plant and animal species with huge trunks, giant flowers, monkeys and birds. An exceptional site on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The name Lipton’s Seat says it all. This precise spot in the Haputale Mountains overlooking the Dambetenna Tea Estate is where Lipton used to sit and contemplate his plantation with its stony landscape and green tea bushes. Magnificent!

Buduruvegala. From afar it looks like a reclining elephant, but is in fact a boulder featuring seven outlined figures carved out of the rock in the 8-10C. In the centre is a gigantic effigy of the Buddha (15m high); on either side are three giants ho..

A path cleared in a lovely forest connects two imposing statues representing the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and the Buddha. These tangible remains of a vanished 7C religious complex were saved from being swallowed up by the vegetation by reconstructi..

As early as 1589 the Portuguese built Fort Santa Cruz to protect the town of Galle . The Dutch developed the fortifications and built the Fort Quarter inside the ramparts. This intact area constitutes the vital and palpable memory of that past linki..

The great Sri Lankan writer Martin Wickramasinghe (1890-1976) tried throughout his life to restore his countrymen’s religious and cultural identity. In addition to his writings he amassed a vast collection of domestic and ritualist folk objects, now ..

You can see Tangalle Beach from the four temples built on the upper terrace of the Mulgirigala rock temple complex clinging onto a hillside surrounded by palm trees. The site, said to go back to the 3C B.C., is decorated with superb murals.

Uda Walawe National Park, the youngest of Sri Lanka’s national parks (1980), was designed around Uda Walawe reservoir. This is the land of the elephants, who move in herds and whose peregrinations are contained by fences for their protection. Don’t m..