Lusso Travel Ltd, No. 1 Glasshouse - 1LG1,
Alderley Park, Alderley Edge, Cheshire, SK10 4TG
Sri Lanka’s famous Cultural Triangle stretches between the ancient former capitals of Anuradhapura to the north, Polonnaruwa to the east and Kandy to the south. Within its boundaries lie several of the country’s greatest cultural sites, including soaring Sigiriya and the cave temples at Dambulla.
Wander the sacred city of Anuradhapura, where ancient dagobas and a sacred bodhi tree draw pilgrims.
Admire Polonnaruwa’s vast reclining Buddhas, relics of an 11th-century royal capital.
Climb iconic Sigiriya Rock to a mountaintop palace with panoramic plains views.
Explore the Dambulla cave temples, glowing with murals and 150 statues of the Buddha.
Discover Kandy’s golden-roofed Temple of the Tooth, serene gardens and lakeside calm.
Anuradhapura is the northernmost and oldest of the ancient capitals, rising to prominence in the 4th-century BC and flourishing for over a millennium. Its enormous dagobas (relic chambers) and revered Bodhi tree – said to be a cutting from the tree under which the Buddha gained enlightenment – make it a major pilgrimage site.
To the east, Polonnaruwa became the capital in the 11th-century and is renowned above all for its giant recumbent Buddhas. Kandy completes the triangle. The last capital of the Sri Lankan kings, it remains the country’s cultural soul, home to the golden-roofed Temple of the Tooth, lush botanical gardens and refined lakeside retreats.
At the heart of the region, Sigiriya Rock rises 200 metres straight up from the surrounding plains, its summit adorned by the ruins of an ancient royal palace. Though Sigiriya steals the show, it’s also well worth stopping at the Dambulla cave temples – home to over 150 statues of the Buddha, it’s one of Sri Lanka’s holiest shrines.
A mix of luxurious and eco-conscious villas set in 58 acres of manicured gardens and lush paddy fields, Uga Ulagalla makes a wonderful base for exploring the ancient, ruined city of Anuradhapura, the capital of Sri Lanka for more than 1,300 years.
Water Garden’s spacious, free-standing villas are set either astride or beside interlinking pools crafted from former rice paddies. All have stunning views of the surrounding water gardens or, in the case of the higher room categories, of the ancient Sigiriya rock fortress, just a 20-minute drive away.