Heritage
Wherehistory lives.
Three ancient capitals, eight World Heritage Sites, and a civilisation that mastered stone, water and faith.
A civilisationwritten in stoneand water.
Across the dry plains of the north-central island, kings built monasteries, palaces and great reservoirs. Their ruins form the heart of what is today known as the Cultural Triangle.
A
sigiriya
Rising abruptly from the forests of the central plains, the rock of Sigiriya carries the ruins of a fifth-century royal capital — a place where palace, garden and landscape were designed as one.
- King Kashyapa’s capital
- Water gardens & engineering
- Frescoes & the Mirror Wall
B
anuradhapura
For more than a millennium Anuradhapura was the political and religious heart of the island — a city of monasteries, colossal stupas and vast man-made lakes that still sustain life today.
- Sacred Bodhi tree
- Ruwanwelisaya & Jetavanaramaya
- Ancient reservoirs
C
polonnaruwa
After the fall of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa rose as the island’s capital — a garden city of palaces, image houses and a vast ‘sea’ built by a king.
- King Parakramabahu I
- Gal Vihara
- Parakrama Samudra
1982
Sigiriya, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa inscribed by UNESCO.
477–495
Reign of King Kashyapa I, builder of Sigiriya (CE).
1153–1186
Reign of Parakramabahu I at Polonnaruwa (CE).