World Heritage Sigiriya and Dambulla Day Tour

The current temple was built in 1874, funded by the Nattukkottai Chettiar. This temple is used by both Hindus and Buddhists. The temple was originally a small statue under a tree prayed to by the Hindu people but has been developed by the people in Matale. The first Kumbhabhishekham of the temple was held in 1960.

The Aluvihare Rock Temple (also called Matale Alu Viharaya) is a sacred Buddhist temple located in Aluvihare, Matale District of Sri Lanka. Surrounded by hills, the Aluvihara cave temple is situated 30 km north of Kandy on the Matale-Dambulla road. The history of Aluvihare Rock Temple is traced back to the 3rd Century B.C to the reign of King Devanampiyatissa. It is believed that the king built the dagoba, planted the Bo sapling and founded the temple after the introduction of Buddhism to the country during his reign.

Aluvihare Rock Temple was the historic location where the Pāli Canon was first written down completely in text on ola (palm) leaves. Many monastery caves, some of which exhibit frescoes are situated near this temple.

Around an hour’s drive north of Kandy, the Ranweli Spice Garden is situated in Kawudupelella in Matale and pays homage to the long history of Sri Lankan spices. Herbs and spices play a major role in Sri Lankan cuisine, believed to add flavour to food whilst also boosting healthy compounds that fight inflammation and reduce damage to the body’s cells. Herbs are derived from the leaves of a plant, while spices are generally made from its seeds, berries, bark or root. Several of these plants that are key to traditional Sri Lankan cooking can be found at the Ranweli Spice Garden.

Nalanda Gedige is designed on the lines of a Hindu temple with a mandapa, an entrance hall (originally roofed), a short passage to a bare cello, and an ambulatory round the holy centre. A limited number of the original Hindu deity statuettes exist within the temple, however, a statue of the God Kubera appears on the south side of the tympanum over the sanctuary, a feature that can only be seen in Sri Lanka.

The richly decorated facade sections, laboriously reassembled in 1975, are predominantly in the South Indian style. Although they cannot be precisely dated, they are believed to have originated sometime between the 8 to 11th centuries

Dambulla is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock towers 160 m over the surrounding plains. There are more than 80 documented caves in the surrounding area. Major attractions are spread over five caves, which contain statues and paintings. These paintings and statues are related to Gautama Buddha and his life. There are a total of 153 Buddha statues, three statues of Sri Lankan kings and four statues of gods and goddesses. The latter include Vishnu and the Ganesha. The murals cover an area of 2,100 square metres (23,000 sq ft). Depictions on the walls of the caves include the temptation by the demon Mara, and Buddha's first sermon.

According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Cūḷavaṃsa, this area was a large forest, then after storms and landslides it became a hill and was selected by King Kashyapa (AD 477–495) for his new capital. He built his palace on top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure; Sinhagiri, the Lion Rock.

The capital and the royal palace were abandoned after the king's death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century. Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site. It is one of the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning

It was built by using unshaped boulders to about 20 ft high. Each stone is broad and thick and some of them are about 10 ft high and about 4 ft wide. It is believed that it was built before the time of usage of metal tools. Arthur Maurice Hocart noted that cyclopean style stone walls were used for the fortress, and square hammered stones were used for the ramparts of the citadel. However, his note suggests metal (iron) tools were used for construction. Excavations work in this areas found a few stone forges, which proved Hocart's claim on the usage of metal tools.

It is believed that the history of Pidurangala Vihara goes back beyond to the first and second century BC. From those days Pidurangala was used as a Buddhist monastery but became a prominent place during the reign of King Kashyapa (473–495 AC).

Pidurangala Temple

Inscriptions in early Brahmi script
According to ancient chronicles, Prince Kashyapa had killed his father King Dhatusena and fled to Sigiriya to find out a more secure place to prevent retaliation attacks from his half-brother, Mugalan. With the arrival of King Kashyapa, the Bhikkus who were meditated there were requested move to the nearby Pidurangala. In a sort of compensation, King Kashyapa refurbished the temple and made it a prominent place.