Practice meditation in Sri Lanka while on your vacation in Sri Lanka

Mihintale

Mihintale, one of Sri Lanka’s most significant cultural sites, lays 13 kilo meters east of Anuradhapura and is where Buddhism originated on the island. In 247 BC King Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura, was deer hunting on the plains beneath Mihintale, and met Mahinda, son of the Indian Buddhist emperor, and chose the path of Buddhism for the Sinhalese nation following Mahinda’s persuasion.

Despite this, Mihintale is less famous than many cultural triangle sites, but those who visit are rewarded with a beautiful location with magnificent views, along with the experience of visiting a working Buddhist temple, the intriguing excavated ruins of a former monastery, a stunningly set dagoba and the Minhintale rock- where Mahinda preached Buddhism to the deer-hunting King Tissa below. Well-worth a visit and easily combined in a day with Anuradhapura, Mihintale is a little-known gem that will enthral all culture-junkies.

Dambulla Cave Temple

The Dambulla rock temple was built by King Walagambahu in the 1st century B.C. and it is a World Heritage Site. It is the most impressive of Sri Lanka's cave temples. The complex of five caves with over 2000 sq. meters of painted walls and ceilings is the largest area of paintings found in the world. It contains over 150 images of the Buddha of which the largest is the colossal figure of the Buddha carved out of rock and spanning.