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THG SIGIRI FRESCOES From over 500 paintings done on the Sigiri wall, only about 22 still remain , many destroyed by vandals over the years. That these painting are still mostly intact and the colours remain bright, speak volumes about the talents of our artists of a bygone era and the techniques they used. The frescoes which remind one of the Ajanta cave paintings in India, are believed to have been painted in the fifth century AD. Some believe the women depicted in these paintings to be apsaras(heavenly beings) while others think they are noble women and their servants heading off to the temples nearby. The paint used was made of various types of clay combined with different colours. The painting were later restored by a reputed Italian artist named Luciano Maransi.It is believed that there were paintings all over the rock which were later destroyed. The frescoes are the only non-religious old paintings in SriLanka.The Vast flat-topped 200m high Lion Rock stands starkly above the surrounding countryside of the central forest with magnificent views over the Dry Zone and south to the the Central Highlands It was an exceptional natural site for a fortress, which were gets its name from the lions which were believed to occupy the caves. For many visitors, this impressive site is their favorite in the whole of Sri Lanka. There are stunning views from the top. In addition to the rock fortress with its palace and famous frescoes, there are extensive grounds at the base and the whole is enclosed by an outer moat which contains water. Seegiriya declared a World Heritage site in 1982.

The Royal Botanical Garden,
Peradeniya is situated about 5 km to the west of the city centre at Peradeniya and is visited by 1.2 million people per year. It is the largest botanical garden in the island.

The Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya wereestablished in 1821, six years after the final occupationof the Kandyan Kingdom by the English. The siteis less than four miles from Kandy on the Colomboroad, and occupies a loop of the river Mahaweli, whichsurrounds it on all sides except the south, where it isbounded by the high road. The area, nearly 150 acresin extent, is beautifully undulated, its average elevationabove sea-level being about 1,540 feet. The climateis hot, moist and very equable; the mean annualtemperature is about 77° F., April and May being thehottest and December the coldest months. Rain fallson about 200 days in the year, the annual rainfall-beingabout 85 inches; it is pretty evenly spread throughthe year, but is heaviest in October and Novemberand in June, at the full establishment of the N.E.and S.W. monsoons, respectively. February and Marchare the dryest months, but even then there arc showersat no distant intervals

Kadupul flower is not a flower that you would see everyday. The rareness is due to its time of blossoming and it’s unique fragrance. The flower blooms at midnight and dies in the morning.(This is a flower that blossoms in the night and fade away before dawn.)

Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage is the home for about 60 elephants, out of which many are baby elephants found, abandoned or orphaned in the wild. They are being cared, fed and trained by the wild life authorities. The best time to visit is during the feeding times, when one will have the opportunity of seeing the baby elephants being bottle-fed. Also could accompany the elephants to a river close-by and see the elephants having their daily bath.

Vatadage (The Stupa House)
This beautiful Stupa house has been built before the time of Nissanga Malla (1187-1196) but he has carried out major renovations on this building. So what you see today is probably his work.
Te uniqueness of such buildings is that the Stupa is protected by a roof. Therefore Stupa’s in such buildings are small. Another beautiful Stupa house is situated in Madirigiriya few kilometres away from Polonnaruwa.

Parakrama Samudraya The Ocean of the King ParakramanahuThe vast water reservoir was built by King Parakramabahu (1153-1186) and today what you see as the Parakrama Samudraya is only a portion of his original creation.
Parakrama Samudraya originally consisted of five large reservoirs separated by smaller dams to reduce the pressure on the main dam. Many smaller tanks has been built around the main tank to feed these primary tanks and to take excess water. The huge lake upon whose northeastern shore Polonnaruwa rests is an inland sea known as the Parakrama Samudra. The largest irrigation tank of Parakramabahu I. It was the life-blood of the ancient city in the same way that it is the blood life of the religion today, providing water for the growth of thirsty rice crops and other foodstuffs. Its 5,600 acres of water irrigated an estimated 18,200 acres of paddy land