Explore the Best Places in Sri Lanka
The golden canopy of the medieval Temple of the Tooth is a landmark dominating the ancient kingdom, now modern city, of Kandy
The Sacred Relic of Buddha’s tooth was brought from India in the 4th century before being housed in a specially created temple in Kandy in the 16th century. The moat and octagonal structure were added later. The tooth relic is enclosed in seven golden caskets enriched with gemstones, in the shape of a Stupa, within the depths of the temple. The temple is open to visitors.
An annual procession (Perahera) of a replica of the tooth casket takes place in August. Elephants are colourfully caparisoned and garlanded with flowers and lights while crowds thrill to the sight of fire eaters, stilt dancers, whip crackers and jugglers parading to the rhythmic vibrations of Kandyan drums.
The Dambulla temple has five caves and 157 statues of the Lord Buddha, many paintings on the ceilings and walls that emphasis the artistic talent of ancient days. The history of the caves, rock and temple dates from the first century B.C. The fascination of these caves is not only the statues but also the many intricate and delicate paintings that cover the ceiling and walls, created with indigenous traditional paints.
Because of the history, archaeological and artistic implications, the premises were declared as one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1991. The temple has been in use for over 22 centuries and still holds a sense of benevolence and spirituality. Visitors may climb up steps to the temple and the view from the top of the rock is as inspiring as the temple’s golden interior.
Anuradhapura is a major city in Sri Lanka It is the capital city of North Central Province, Sri Lanka North Central Province, Sri Lanka and the capital of Anuradhapura District. Anuradhapura is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Sri Lankan civilization.
Poḷonnaruwa is the main town of Polonnaruwa District in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. Kaduruwela area is the Polonnaruwa New Town and the other part of Polonnaruwa remains as the royal ancient city of the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa
Called by many names including “The Lion Rock” for its initial name of “Sinhagiri”, Sigiriya is near the town of Dambulla and is a colossal column of rock nearly 200m high. It was a royal citadel for 18 years (477-495) when it was fortified by King Kasyapa. The architectural and irrigational technologies of Sigiriya, such as the Water Gardens, still baffle engineers. The climb up steep steps of metal with railings passes a wall decorated with frescoes of bare-breasted women. Art experts consider them unique.
The summit of the rock is a hectare in area and the outer wall of the palace was constructed on the brink of the rock with gardens and ponds softening the harshness of the eerie. Since it was constructed over 1,500 years ago, it is claimed by enthusiast as the Eighth Wonder of the World and is anyway a World Heritage Site.
