This typical Sri Lankan cave temple including a shrine for Ganesha worship iis situated not far from major Buddhist attractions

Yesterday's blog photo was taken at Kaludiya Pokuna, Mihintale's  charming darkwater pond at the foot of the hills. The ancient cave is known as bath house.

For indepedent travellers interested in Buddhist heritage, my hometown Mihintale near Anuradhapura is definitely a major destination in Sri Lanka's so-called Cultural Triangle. The Ambasthala Dagaba, where Buddhism was introduced to the island, is a pilgrimage destination of historical significance. Several attractions in its vicinity, such as Kantaka Chetiya and rice boat, are usually visited by foreign guests too. Additionally, the less-frequented "dark pond" Kaludiya Pokuna" at the foot of the Mihintale hills is mentioned in pocket guides and therefore not completely unknown.

But there are several more places of interest in and around Mihintale that are worth a visit and that are still completely off the beaten path. Here is a list of five of them. For more detailed descriptions please visit our unrivalled Mihintale main page, where you can find more detailed information on each of them and on the famous sites, too.

Many online articles on Meetiyagoda state that this is the world's only moonstone mine. Actually, this is not true. But what is true is that Meetiyagoda is unique. Read our article to understand in what respect this claim is true. Find more detailed information about Meetiyagoda and moonstones here...

Yesterday we boasted to provide the most comprehensive descriptions of Sri Lanka's national parks on our website. There is another series of destinations that is worth mentioning as being described in our articles that is extraordinarily packed with information, namely Jaffna and surroundings. There are more places of interest in the northernmost district of Sri Lanka than already mentioned on our website. However, the most important attractions are already included in our list and travel information on them is unrivalled. Find a list here...

Okay, that headline is boasting, big words. And what is meant is: tourist information for preparing your Sri Lanka holidays. There are of course more comprehensive scientific reports. And we inform in much detail only about those national parks that are popular tourist destinations. But  just compare with other online publications our articles on

Wilpattu Natioanl Park
Yala National Park
Kumana National Park
Bundala National Park
Udawalawe National Park
Gal Oya National Park
Minneriya National Park
Kaudulla National Park
Horton Plains National Park

If you don't agree that we provide the most detailed descriptions, please write a comment to correct us. We promise: We even link this article to competitor's websites, if their article turns out to be more comprehensive than hours. So don't hesitate to let us feel ashamed and to give our readers a hint where there is better information...

The most detailed report about Sri Lanka's rarely visited heritage attraction Thiriyai (Tiriyaya) can be found here...

Asked which is the most attractive of the less-known destinations in Sri Lanka, we honestly don't know the accurate answer. There are quite a few charming places of the beaten path, numerous indeed. But we guess, among the forgotten heritage sites Thiriyai, also spelt Tiriyaya, is worth mentioning as very significant for the cultural and art history of Sri Lanka and nevertheless off the beaten path. This is why we decided to improve our main article about this best-preserved circular temple in the Buddhist world soon to provide more detailed information. Maybe, then users of our website understand why we think, Thiriyai is worth mentioning - and worth visiting.

Due to the shared Theravada Buddhist tradition, Sri Lanka has mch in common with Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. Particularly the monastic traditions are intertwined. Strong ties started to develop during the Polonnaruwa period and the 13th century. Although by and large Sri Lanka played a more significant role in the cultural history of the other Theravada countries, traces of influences from Southeast Asia can be seen even in Sri Lanka's heritage sites such as Polonnaruwa. The layout of the Potgul Vihara in the south of Polonnaruwa, with three upper levels of temple terraces, may have been inspired by Khmer architecture. The Satmahal Pasada on the Quadrangle temple platform is a steep step pyramid with niches for Buddha statues, a quite unique structure in ancient Sri Lanka. But it very much resembles Mon architecture of northern Thailand.

Cambodia's Buddhist tradition is not as old as that of Sri Lanka. And the heydays of Anuradhapura predate those of Angkor. This is to say: The huge monuments of Sri Lanka are earlier than those of Cambodia. However, Cambodia's temples are much vaster than those of contemporary Polonnaruwa, and very spectacular indeed.

Our new Cambodia website about Angkor's heritage attractions, which will be the most detailed one you can find online, has been started yesterday. Just one of estimately 200 pages is online now, viz. about the medium-sized Buddhist temple of Ta Som - as a sample how the temple descriptions will look like. Have a look at http://www.angkor-temples-in-cambodia.com/ta-som.html. We will keep you informed about further uploads on a regular base.