Sri Dalaga Maligawa

The Temple of Tooth at kandy is the final location of the sacred tooth of the lord Buddha which was brought to srilanka during the reign of king “keerthi sri Megawarna” by prince “Dantha” and Princess “Hemamala” from the kindom of kalingu India.

It became the palladium of srilankan kings and was preciously guarded in a special shrine built within precincts of royal palace where the capital was located.

Sri Dalada Museum

This museum occupies the upper two floors of the Alut Maligawa building and contains a stunning array of gifts donated by several presidents and Buddhist leaders from across the world to the Temple of the Tooth. Letters and diary entries from the British time reveal the colonisers’ surprisingly respectful attitude to the tooth relic.

Degal Doruwa Raja Maha Vihara

Hidden away in Kandy's leafy outskirts is the little-visited, but fascinating, Degal Doruwa Raja Maha Vihara cave temple, constructed (with the help of some obliging boulders) in the 18th century. The interior of the cave is painted head to toe in slightly faded, but captivating murals.

These fine Kandyan-era paintings depict scenes from the Jataka stories (tales from the previous lives of the Buddha). In among these are some out-of-place paintings depicting men with guns. These are likely to have been inspired by the first firearms to have arrived in Sri Lanka. Alongside the paintings is a large reclining Buddha. Visitors are likely to be shown around by one of the five resident monks.

Sigiriya (Rock Fortress)

Rising dramatically from the central plains, the enigmatic rocky outcrop of Sigiriya is perhaps Sri Lanka's single most dramatic sight. Near-vertical walls soar to a flat-topped summit that contains the ruins of an ancient civilisation, thought to be once the epicentre of the short-lived kingdom of Kassapa

And there are spellbinding vistas across mist-wrapped forests in the early morning.Sigiriya refuses to reveal its secrets easily, and you'll have to climb a series of vertiginous staircases attached to sheer walls to reach the top. On the way you'll pass a series of quite remarkable frescoes and a pair of colossal lion's paws carved into the bedrock. The surrounding landscape – lily-pad-covered moats, water gardens and cave shrines – only add to Sigiriya's rock-star appeal.

Isurumuniya Viharaya

This charming rock temple, dating from the reign of Devanampiya Tissa (r 307–267 BC), is set around a lovely lotus pond, the corner of which is carved with images of elephants playfully splashing water. The central temple has some particularly fine mural paintings.

Climb around the back to the rock summit to see the bell-shaped stupa and a pair of Buddha footprints etched into the rock.The small museum features the famous ‘lovers’ sculpture, which dates from around the 5th century AD and is carved in the artistic style of the Indian Gupta dynasty of the 4th and 5th centuries. Photos are tolerated, despite signs to the contrary. Another belief is that this couple represent the god Siva and goddess Parvathi of Hindu belief.

The vihara also has another stone slab which depicts a court scene which is thought to be the court of king Dutugemunu. Both these stone slabs are thought to be originated in the 8th century. The vihara itself is built on a rock and the sacred tooth relic of Buddha has been originally kept here when it arrived to the island from India in the 312 AC.

Mihinthalaya

This sleepy village and temple complex, 13km east of Anuradhapura, holds a special place in the annals of Sri Lankan lore. In 247 BC King Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura was hunting a stag on Mihintale Hill when he was approached by Mahinda, son of the great Indian Buddhist emperor, Ashoka.

Mahinda tested the king’s wisdom and, considering him to be a worthy disciple, promptly converted the king on the spot. Mihintale has since been associated with the earliest introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka.

Each year a great festival, the Poson Poya, is held at Mihintale on the Poson full-moon night (usually in June) to commemorate the conversion of Devanampiya Tissa.

Mihintale Mountain, with the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, began to serve as a residential area for the venerable monks headed by Arahath Mahinda Mahathera.But soon, with the royal patronage, the sanctuary housed a multitude of with monastic buildings-stupas, uposathgharas, bodhigharas- to serve the monks. Sixty eight cave dwellings provided the monks shade and shelter. Mihintale, the sanctuary for many thousands of laymen as well as holy men, had all the facilities and amenities for basic living.

Anuradhapura (Atamasthanaya)

Anuradhapura, the first capital of the Sri Lanka flourished for almost 1500 years starting form the 4th century BC. In the middle of 3rd Century BC, after 236 years of passing away of Buddha, Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka and from that point onward a great civilization was built upon the teaching of Buddha.

Today Anuradhapura is one of the most sacred cities for the Buddhists all over the world and it is filled with Ancient Dagabas, monasteries, palaces, man made water tanks and royal parks.

There are 8 main places of worship known as ATAMASTHANA. Sri Maha Bodhiya, Ruwanveliseya, Thuparama, Lovamahapaya, Abhayagiriya, Jetavanaramaya, Mirisavetiya and Lankaramaya.These are considered the most important places that a Buddhist pilgrim must visit in Anuradhapura.

Aukana Buddha Statue

Aukana Buddha statue is located at 30km northwest of Dambulla close to ancient Kala Weva man-made rainwater reservoir.It rise to a height off 11.36 meters, is the tallest ancient Buddha statue in Sri Lanka.

Aukana Buddha Statue in Asisa Mudra or the “posture of blessing” is carved out of a rock boulder.

The statue is carved in the round connected to the back to the rock boulder.The delicate and skillful carving of the Buddha’s robe humanizes and chastely reveals the underlying form of his body, while the face’s impassive expression projects an aura of spiritual supremacy.

It is said that the degree of alignment of the statue is such that raindrop on the nose would drop straight down to small depression carved between the toes. Aukana Buddha Statue is a masterpiece of a colossal Buddha Statue by an unknown sculptor: the serene expression of the statue, the gracefully carved robe with neat pleats brings in delicateness that could hardly be moulded into a rock. The impassive expression of the face reflects the supreme spirituality.

The difference in opinion of the experts of the dating of Aukana Buddha statues was finally resolved following the discovery in the year 1952, of an inscription on a granite slab built onto the northern wall of the shrine. The statue was sculpted in the second half of the 8th century AD when Mahayana Buddhism threatened to take root in Sri Lanka.