Asked where are the best examples of classical Kandy paintings, the answer must be Dambulla, of course. Concerning the beauty of the painted caves, Ridigama comes second. However, high quality Kandy paintings second only to Dambulla, we assume, can be seen in Degaldoruwa. The cave temple of Degaldoruwa Rajamaha Viharaya is located only 4 km north of the Mahaweli Bridge to the east of Kandy (Mahiyangana Road), where the Earl’s Regence, Kandy’s most renowned 5-star-hotel, is situated, too. Nonetheless, Degaldoruwa is still not a crowded destination. Sometimes it’s difficult to find someone in charge of the key to open the caves. The murals are breathtaking. Some paintings can be found at the rock surface of the inner shrine room, which is the Degaldoruwa cave in a more narrow sense. The most amazing Paintings illustrating Jataka stories can be seen at the wall in front of the inner shrine room, which is called Buduge.  Several elements are portrayed in great detail, particularly the garments and adornments.

The construction of the Degaldoruwa Rajamaha Viharaya in it’s final form commenced in 1771 under the famous King Kirti Sri Rajasingha and was completed under his successor Rajadhi Rajasingha. A monk by name Moratota Dhammakkanda Maha Nayaka Thera, who was the king’s teacher and advisor, was in charge of the Degaldoruwa temple. Four artists are credited with painting the Degaldoruwa murals, their. The name of the craft of painters decorating caves and temples during the Kandyan period is Sitaras.

Maligathenna Rajamaha Viharaya, situated in the village of Malwatuhiripitiya, is one of the many ancient cave temples of an area historically known as Siyane Korale. Though located not far from Gampaha and near the A1 mainroad from Colombo to Kandy, the archaeological sites of Siyane Korale are rarely visited by foreigners, because they are not mentioned in ordinary pocket guides. However, Maligathenna as well as Pilikuththuwa and Varana and Petthagangala are extraordinarily beautiful sites and well worth a detour.

Maligathenna is the highest hill in Gampaha District. The monastery officially recognized as an archaeological site is located at ist eastern foot. The history of Maligathenna Rajamaha Viharaya goes back to the early times of Buddhism on the island. According to Brahmi inscriptions found in the nearby temples of Pilikuththuwa and Varana, the temples of the Siyane Korale served as abode of reclusive Buddhist monks as early as in pre-christian centurues. The temples are ascribed to Valagamba, the famous king known as Vatthagamni Abhaya in the ancient chroinicles. Maligathenna is said to have served as one of his hiding places during his years in forced exile from Anuradhapura. However, many cave entrances can be dated to the late Anuradhapura period.

Another legend has it, that Maligathenna Rajamaha Viharaya was a place honoured by the presence of the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha, which is now enshrined in Kandy. When the Christian King Don Juan Dharmapala of Kotte helped the Portuguese to destroy Buddhist culture, the guardian of the Sacred Tooth brought this national palladium to Maigathenna for safekeeping for a while.

The main temple complex of Maligathenna consists of two terraces called Pahala Maluwa and Ihala Maluwa. On the very top of the Maligathenna hill is a stupa plus the site of an ancient Bo-tree.

The crescent-shaped beach of Unuwatuna, situated only 3 km east of World Heritage Site Galle, is famous for its shallow turquoise water and lush green palm trees. Small reefs allow snorkeling and protect the sandy beach and make it safer for children than any other beach at the southwestern coastline. Though much of the sandy strip was lost due to the Boxing Day Tsunami 2004, Unawatuna is still Sri Lanka’s most popular beach with independent travellers. Though large hotel complexes are not yet built at the lovely beach, there is a large amount of guest houses, Ayurveda parks and restaurants and discos, making this a busy and quite noisy place, particularly in the weekends, when young people from Colombo come here to have fun. The more picturesque and best protected part of Unawatuna Beach is at ist western end of the beach, where stairs also lead up to a small hill with a pagoda and a newly erected huge Buddha statue, with a beautiful view overlooking the entire beach.

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This history of the cave temple known as Sankapala is beliebed to trace back to the times of Dutugemunu (Dutthagamani). Sri Lanka’s most famous king reigned in the 2nd century BC. Ten giants are said to have been Dutugemunu's helpers in his campeign against the foreign invaders in Anuradhapura. One of these giants was Pussadeva, who informed the people about victories by blowing a conch shell. After the war, the area of Sankapala was granted to the loyal warrior by the king, the conch was entombed in the rock at the top of Sankapala, wgich became a Vihara, a Buddhist monastery, since Pussadeva lived as a hermit at this place. The caves of the Sankapala rock were restored as a Buddhist Vihara during the reign of the Kandyan king Rajadhi Rajasinghe. Most decorations that can be seen today are from the 20th century. Sankapala has become a popular pilgrimage destination. Buddhist devotees also venerate Hindu deities at cave temples called Devales within the compound of the Sankhapala Vihara.

Jathika Namal Uyana, situateded in-between the two villages of Ulpathgama and Ranawa to the northwest of Dambulla, is an archaelogical site and nature reserve at the same time. It‘s famous for two natural attractions, viz. South Asia’s largest rose quartz deposit and numerous precious ironwood trees. It is said they were planted by criminals who were permitted to search for asylum in this remote forest hermitage. An ancient stupa and remnants of a Bodhigara can still be seen in the middle of the forest. The existence of a spring never drying out is the reason for the extraordinary vast biodiversity of this are in Sri Lanka’s otherwise semi-arid dry zone. It was Venerable Wananavasi Rahula who reinstuted this pleasant area as a forest hermitage and initiated nature conservation projects by involving the villagers of the surroundings.

Dondra Point to the east of Matara is the name of the small peninsula forming the southernmost tip of the island of Sri Lanka. Dondra Point, also known as Dondra Head, is marked by a lighthouse from the colonial period. A famous Hindu shrine once located close to the extreme point was destroyed by Portuguese Christian fanatics in 1687. Buddhists venerated Lord Upulvan at Dondra Point, too. Only some ruins are left, a Buddhist Devale desicated to Upulvan alias Vishnu, situated close to the main road A2, is a modern pilgrimage site. Dondra is an anglicised abbreviation of the original Sinhala name Devundara. The temple, which was one of the five holiest Shiva shrines, was alos known as as Devinuwara, which means „city of god“.

Madunagala Hot Springs are situated to the east of the Walawe river in Sri Lanka’s Southern Province. Popular with pilgrims more than with tourists, this is a good place to meet Sri Lankans that are not part of the tourism industry, but Madunagala, also known as Mahapalessa, is not a must-see but worth considering a stop when you are in the region. The hot wells were first recorded by the famous Leonard Woolf, husband of Virginia Woolf, and reestablished as late as in the 1960s.bThe area now provides changing rooms and toilets for men and women separately and a playground and mini zoo for children.

Ramba Raja Maha Viharaya in Ruhuna is situated half-way between Ambalantota at the south coast of Sri Lanka and Embilipitiya near Udawalawe National Park. The Ramba Viharaya is not a spectacular site, although this is actually the largest excavation of ancient monastic buildings in southern Sri Lanka. The ruins that can be seen today are monastic complexes that belonged to the important harbour of ancient Maha Nagakula at the Walawe river. Maha Nagakula also served as the island’s capital for a short time in the 11th century, when the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa region was occupied by Chola invaders. You can find a small ancient moonstone at one of the typical image houses. A museum is attached to the Ramba Vhiaraya archaeological site. Parts of the excavation area are covered by modern buildings of a living Buddhist monastery.

Siri Pada is Sri Lanka’s iconic mountain. It was known by Arab seafarers, because its conic shape can be seen from the ocean, clear sight provided. Muslims settling down in Sri Lanka regarded the Holy Mountain of Buddhists and Hindus as sacred, too, giving the footprint („Siri Pada“ means „Sacred Foot“) at the top a new meaning: According to Muslims,the giant footprint was left by Adam, the first human being, when he had to leave paradise. This means, the top of Siri Pada is believed to be the place where Adam first touched the surface of the earth, the spot on our planet that is closest to paradise. This is why the mountain got ist Western name „Adam’s Peak“, later on also used by European colonialists, though Christians from India had a different explanation: The footprint was left by St. Thomas, their apostle.

Besides being a place of pilgrimage for four major religions, Siri Pada is definitely Sri Lanka’s best vantage point, offering an unforgettable 360 degree panorama. There are two flights of steps leasing to the top. The shorter though also exhausting one is from the highland side, the older and longer one starts in the lowlands in the Ratnapura region.

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Nalanda Gedige between Matale and Dambulla is Sri Lanka‘s only complete stone temple from the Anuradhapura period. The temple built in the 8th or 9th century is situated in the geographical center of the island, presumably on a much earlier place of worship. The temple that can be seen today is not at the original site any more, since it has been shifted to a new location due to the consruction of a reservoir in the 1980s. That’s why Nalanda Gedige is called „Sri Lanka’s small Abu Simbel“. The building is influenced by the classical Southindian style of temple architecture which had been developed in the 7th century by the Pallavas near Chennai. The temple consists of a temple tower called Sikhara sheltering the sanctum and a ceremonial hall in front of it called Mandapa on a shared platform, which is the typical arrangement of all Indian temples. Nalanda Gedige seem s to have been dedicated to a Tantric version of Buddhism. Nalanda Gedige is the only temple in Sri Lanka decorated with erotic depiction. Though this kind of sexually explicit carvings is typical of North Indian temples, it’s quite rare in Southern India and Sri Lanka and seems to indicate foreign influence.