Sri Lanka’s first capital, Anuradhapura, was the greatest monastic city of the ancient world. It was royal capital for more than 100 Sri Lankan kings and at its heights was home to thousands of monks from dozens of monasteries. Originally founded by a minister called Anuradha, in the 4th century BC, it became the capital of Sri Lanka two centuries later. After a long and sometimes bloody history, it was abandoned in 1073 and is now today the most important religious and cultural site in Sri Lanka. The ruins of Mahavihara, the first monastery, built by King Devanam Piyatissa in 250 B.C.E, and several other monasteries and temples can be seen. Also don’t miss the ancient Bo Tree, which was originally a branch of the Bo tree in Budda Gaya under which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment and brought to Sri Lanka by Emperor Asoka’s daughter, Princess Sangamiita.

The caves at first came into use as a refuge for King Valagambahu in 1st century BC. Concealed by the local monks, upon returning from exile to his throne at Anuradhapura, he had the magnificent cave temple built for them. The cave temple consists of a complex of Buddhist image houses. Its rock ceiling is one large sweep of colorful frescoes, some of which dates back to over 2,000 years, which depicts Buddhist mythology, and the tales of the Buddha's previous births. This cave temple has the largest number of Buddha statues all housed in one place, including a 14m-long figure of the recumbent Buddha carved out of the rock.

Sri Lanka’s royal medieval capital in 1073, for nearly a century Polonnaruwa had been a military base for invading Chola tribes, from southern India, until they were overthrown by the Sinhalese king, Vijayabahu I in 1070. The next king, Parakramabahu I, was the main driving force behind the development of Polonnuruwa. It remained Sri Lanka’s capital until the late 13th century, but became increasingly susceptible to Chola invasions and it became lost to the jungle once more as the capital drifted south-west. Today, the ancient city’s ruins remain in remarkably good nick, and are a fascinating site to visit. The most impressive are the ancient sculptures of Lord Buddha at the Gal Viahara cut into Granite stone dating back to the middle of the 12th century. The entire sculpture consists of four colossal statues of Buddha - a samadhi image in meditation posture, a seated Buddha image inside a cave, a standing Buddha image which is 23 ft in height, and recumbent Buddha image measuring 46 ft, depicting the passing away.

Hidden in the caves of Sigiriya’s Rock Fortress is the Sigiriya frescoes – ancient paintings of maidens that date back to the 5th century. Although only a few remain today, research of ancient graffiti inscribed on the walls suggests that the entire western face of the Sigirya rock would have been covered with these frescoes. It is believed that some of the paintings may have been wiped out during subsequent years when the Sigirya was used as a Buddhist monastery.

Sri Lanka is an island situated in the Indian Ocean, at the base of the Indian Sub-Continent, 880 km north of the equator. Sri Lanka has a pleasant tropical climate. The average temperature of the low lands ranges between 25-30 degrees Celsius. It is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious country with a diverse and rich culture with a total population of 19 million.