Sigiriya rock fortress is the most visited tourist attraction in Sri Lanka. It is sometimes known as the Sigiriya Lion Rock, after its original name “Sinha-Giri”. The name comes from its palace entrance through a massive brick sculpture of a lion head. Only the paws of this sculpture remain at the foot of the rock today. Sigiriya rock fortress is a fifth-century fortified palace complex, which was used by King Kassapa (477CE-493CE). The Sigiriya rock abruptly rises 600 feet high from the surrounding plains. The ruins of King Kassapa’s royal palace are scattered on the peak rock plateau. The hike to the top is via 1200 steps. Some of them were constructed at the time of King Kassapa. The foothills and immediate surroundings of the Sigiriya rock were once an elaborate royal pleasure garden. The archaeological value of the site is immeasurable, perhaps unsurpassed in South Asia.

Dambulla golden rock cave temple was home to thousands of meditating monks since its monastic beginnings in the first century BCE. Today the same cave temple hosts a massive collection of Buddhist murals and sculptures belonging to a pan-Asian artistic tradition. The cave temple was abandoned at regular intervals since its humble beginnings. Yet the royals and Buddhist elite kept renovating it to appease countless faithful pilgrims.