Dambulla, Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa photos

Dambulla is famous for its cave temples. According to legend, King Valagambahu took refuge there in the 1st century BC and had the caves carved into magnificent temples full of Buddha statues and large paintings of a reclining Buddha. Sigiriya (Lion Rock) is magnificent rock fortress. One legend holds that the son of King Dhatusena of Anuradhapura, Kasyapa who was overthrown in 477 prepared the rock fort as he expected an invasion. The invasion never occurred and Sigiriya later become a monastic refuge in the 16th and 17th centuries. It later fell into disrepair. It is an archaeologist’s dream with remaining evidence of engineering, urban planning, hydraulic technology, gardening and art. The ruins of ancient Polonnaruwa (the Medieval Capital of Sri Lanka) date back to the late 10th century, when the Chola kings of southern India invaded Sri Lanka and conquered Anaradhapura.