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The Ancient Cities Travel Guide
If West Coast promises a large number of beaches while the Hill Country boasts of the towering Adam Peak and the beautiful views of Ella's Tea Estate, The Ancient Cities is proud of its ancient splendor with its century-old temples, shrines and palaces that dot the emerald green plains. Hailed as the "Land of the Kings," The Ancient Cities is a dazzling assembly of sights sure to fire the imagination of visitors.
The first stop of visitors coming to this side of Sri Lanka is at Dambulla which nestles the stunning cave temple known as the "Royal Rock Temple," set at the top of a hillock overlooking the entire Ancient Cities. Visitors can get a glimpse of Buddhist murals, 2000-year old frescoes and the gargantuan figure of the recumbent Buddha along with white-washed statues of Hindu gods such as Saman and Vishnu.
Other than the royal rock temple, Dambulla houses the impressive Namal Uyana, a rose quartz mountain range which is the home of the iron wood tree and the Jathika Namal Uyana Reserve which serves as safe haven to some endangered species of plants and birds.
From Dambulla, visitors can have a short trip to Sigiriya, where the "Lion Rock Citadel" (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) is auspiciously located at the center of the town and visible from miles. The rock projection of Sigiriya is believed to be a monastery for a commune of monks and also reputedly a palace for Sri Lankan kings and princes such as Prince Kaspaya and the mystical King Rawana.
Other than the impressive architecture of the Lion Rock, well preserved inner and outer moats and the rampart systems, visitors will be awestruck by the audacity of the artist who "graffitied" the mirror wall of the citadel, the oldest of such transgressive act. Kept here are well-preserved frescoes and paintings, 6th century graffiti of celestial nymphs—all of which provided inspiration for oral and written Sinhalese literature.
After appreciating the sheer beauty of Sigiriya, visitors can head northeast to see the ruins of a monastery (Shiva Devale, Gal, and Rankot Vihara) and a vast collection of Buddhist sculptures at the Polonnaruwa Vatadage or the Circular Relic House at the royal capital of Polonnaruwa. They can also enjoy the bountiful wildlife at the nearby Minneriya National Park with herds of elephants, Sambar deer and leopards prowling around the evergreen forests with occasional cormorants and storks coming to hunt in the shallow waters.
Next stop would be Anuradhapura (another UNESCO World Heritage Site), the older royal capital of Sri Lanka which houses the rambling temple ruins (Vijitapura Raja Maha Viharaya and Isurumuniya Rock Temple), stupas (Glorious Golden Sand and Abayagiri Stupas) and sacred statues (Sri Maha Bodhi Tree and Samadhi Buddha).
Last stop for visitors to the Land of the Kings would be to at Mihintale (Plain of Mahind), dubbed as the "Cradle of Sri Lanka Buddhism." Like its sister cities, the landscape of Mihintale is dotted with extensive monastic ruins of dagobas and stupas with the prominence of the Kantaka Cetiya and the Mahaseya Dagoba along with the remains of an Ayurvedic hospital complete with ruins of stone inscription and urns.
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