Maduwanwela Walauwa (walauwa refers to an ancestral house) also known as the Burutha Maligawa (“satinwood castle”), was originally built in the 18th century by Maduwanwela Maha Mohottala during the Dutch occupation. The Walauwa has been home to six generations of the Maduwanwela family. The current layout of the ...

This magnificent hybrid of Indian and British architecture was copied from the plans of an Indian Maharaja’s palace designed by a London architect. Richmond Castle in Kalutara is a two-storied building with 15 rooms. All the rooms are naturally air-conditioned. Richmond Castle has 99 door frames, 38 windows and one ...

Sri Lanka is fortunate in possessing the largest natural cave in Asia. This cave is  commonly known as Pahiyangala or Fahiyangala which was derived from the name Fa Hsien, for it appears that our 5th century Chinese pilgrim visited the cave during his two-year sojourn in the island. Gala means “rock”, so the ...

Yapahuwa is one site not to be missed though it is located 46km north of Kurunegala, and almost half-way to Anuradhapura. It is a massive 100m high rock with a golden history that soars dramatically above the surrounding area as magnificent as Sigiriya. Yapahuwa was ruled by Bhuvanekabahu I (1272 – 84), the younger son ...

The Sinharaja Forest Reserve is the country's last viable area of primary tropical rainforest. More than 60% of the trees are endemic and many of them are considered rare. There is much endemic wildlife, especially birds, but the reserve is also home to over 50% of Sri Lanka's endemic species of mammals and butterflies, as ...

The sacred city of Kandy, a holy Buddhist site,  was the last capital of the Sinhala kings whose patronage enabled the Dinahala culture to flourish for more than 2,500 years until the occupation of Sri Lanka by the British in 1815. It is also the site of the Temple of the Tooth Relic (the sacred tooth of the Buddha), ...

The sacred city of Anuradhapura grew when a cutting from the 'tree of enlightenment' was brought there in the 3rd century B.C. by Sanghamitta, the founder of an order of Buddhist nuns. Anuradhapura, a Ceylonese political and religious capital that flourished for 1,300 years, was abandoned after an invasion in 993.

The old town of Galle and its fortifications were founded in the 6th-century by the Portuguese. Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century, before the arrival of the British. It is the best example of a fortified city built by Europeans in South and South-East Asia, showing the interaction between ...

The Golden Temple of Dambulla is a sacred pilgrimage site for 22 centuries and is the largest and best preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The Buddhist mural paintings are of particular importance, as are the 157 statues.

The ancient city of Sigiriya built in 5th century is next, situated at the summit of a granite peak – the Lion’s Rock - standing some 370 m high. A series of galleries and staircases emerging from the mouth of a gigantic lion constructed of bricks and plaster provide access to the site.