©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd The Ancient Cities Includes ¨ Why Go? Matale ............ 204 Crumbling temples, lost cities and sacred Buddhist sites are Nalanda Gedige .... 204 the reason to head up country to the cultural heartland of Sri Dambulla .......... 205 Lanka. It was here on the central plains that ancient Sinhalese Sigiriya ............ 209 dynasties set up their first capitals and supported massive ar- tistic and architectural endeavours. Eventually these kingdoms Polonnaruwa ........215 fell, slowly to be reclaimed by the forest and jungles. Minneriya & Kaudulla For more than a century archaeologists have been slowly National Parks ..... 226 stripping the many layers of history from this overgrown Anuradhapura ...... 228 landscape. The rock fortress at Sigiriya, the monumental Mihintale ...........237 dagobas (stupas) of Anuradhapura and the refined carvings Yapahuwa of Polonnaruwa are but a few of the sites now ranking as na- Rock Fortress ...... 240 tional treasures. Home to four Unesco World Heritage Sites, Panduwasnuwara. .241 this ‘Cultural Triangle’ is a heaven for amateur archaeologists and historians. Ridi Vihara ..........241 Besides the amazing ruins, save time for the national Kurunegala ........ 242 parks, which teem with elephants and outstanding birdlife, and try to visit at least one off-the-beaten-track temple site. Best Places to Eat ¨ Sanctuary at Tissawewa When to Go (p236) Dambulla °C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm ¨ Hotel Shalini (p236) 40/104 16/400 ¨ Traditional Foods Sales Centre (p208) 30/86 12/300 20/68 8/200 Best Places to 10/50 4/100 0/32 0 Sleep J FDM A M J J A S O N ¨ Rice Villa Retreat (p225) ¨ Sigiri Lion Lodge (p212) Jun A great May–Sep Ele- Nov Ceremonies festival, the Poson phants gather in in Anuradhapura ¨ Jim’s Farm Villas (p204) Poya, is held at the central and for Unduvap Poya, ¨ Ulagalla (p235) Mihintale on the easily visited marking the sa- full-moon night. Minneriya National cred bodhi tree’s ¨ Sanctuary at Tissawewa Park. arrival. (p236) #\ #\ 203 #\ D Tantirimalai ìHA9 Trincomalee Trincomalee ìHA20 Naga ìHA12 D D (23km) (75km) Kantale (30km) Pokuna Tank ##\7 Mihintale #\ Kantale Anuradhapura#^#1 Nuwara ìHA12 ìHA13 Galenbindunuwewa #\ Padikaramduwa Wewa ìHA6 #\Galkulama #\ Talawa #\ Nachchaduwa Yakalla #\ Alut Oya Tank #\ #\ Manankattiya Hurulu #\ Wewa Kaudulla ìHA28 Tirappane Wewa Mandalagiri Tank Vihara ìHA9 Y Gal Oya #\Thambuttegama a #\ ä# n #\ Ritigala #\ Ritigala Strict O Medirigiriya Nature Reserve#÷ Ruins y Gal Oya ä# a Junction Gunnawalpule #\ #\Ritigala Palugaswewa #\ Hingurakgoda Habarana Minneriya #\ #\ #\ #\ Sasseruwa #\ Kekirawa ìHA11 Wewa Minneriya Flood Plains #\ Aukana #Ú #\ Kalawewa Giratalana Minneriya#4 #\ National Buddha Giritale Park Kala National Park #\ ìHA6 #÷ Galgamuwa Wewa H Giritale Polonnaruwa ìA9 #\ #2 Sigiriya Tank ##\3 Inamaluwa #\ #\Kaduruwela ìHA11 Moragollagama Parakrama #\ #\ #\ Kandalama Manampitiya ìHA28 Samudra Dambulla##\5 Kandalama Madagalla Tank ga n Gan Maho #\ Amba #\ #\ ä#Yapahuwa Daladagama ìHA9 Wasgomuwa Hakwatuna #\ National Oya Tank Galewela Elahera Park #\ #\ Rambe #÷ #\Naula ìHA6 #\ Nalanda #\ #Þ Dehiattakandiya ANCIENTHE ANCIEN #\ Padeniya #\ Nalanda Melsiripura #\ Gedige WD ariyapola Panduwasnuwara (16km) Ibbagamuwa Pallegama ìHA10 #\ #\ #\ Ridigama Rattota T #\ #6 Ridi Vihara Ratkin da C Peak ReservC oir I ^# I T T Kurunegala #\ Wilderness IES Matale IES Sanctuary Ulhitiya Malwatagama #÷R Reservoir #\ Elkaduwa #\ Knuckles Victoria - A Range nc ìHA6 Randenigala - ìHA26 (1863m) Rantambe Sanctuary #÷ I H en ìA10 #\ Mahiyangana Polgahawela Wattegama #\ #\ CITI T #\ #\ Victoria Madugoda Rambukkana Kandy^# Reservoir ìHA26 D Utuwankandu R #\ es Colombo Peradeniya 0 20 km #\ ìHA1 e# 0 10 miles (60km) Kegalle HI R #\ gh #\#\ LI gh Ancient Cities Highlights 1 Abhayagiri Dagoba temples and Buddhas at the Sri Lanka’s most stunning T (p231) Feeling utterly humbled fascinating ruins of this former Buddhist murals and images. S by the epic scale of the former Sinhalese stronghold. 6 Ridi Vihara (p241) capital of Anuradhapura. 4 Minneriya (p226) Getting off the beaten track at 2 Sigiriya (p209) Scaling Spotting elephants, crocodiles this little-visited site. the great rock for epic views, and birdlife on the lake shores 7 Mihintale (p237) outstanding murals and and in the jungles. Climbing monumental intriguing ruins. 5 Dambulla Cave Temples stairways to the stupas and 3 Polonnaruwa (p215) (p205) Peering at some of viewpoints where Buddhism Admiring the exquisite carved first took root in Sri Lanka..