Ancient lakeside city of Polonnaruwa, 216 km from Colombo, 104 km South-east of Anuradhapura. Which rose to frame in the 12th century BC. Sinhala King Parakrama Bahu who made this into his glorious capital from 1153 to 1186. The city in its day was fortified with three concentric walls, beautified with parks and gardens and sanctified by several shrines and sacred places.
Anuradhapura, first capital of SriLanka is about 209Km from Colombo. The memory of the kings of ancient Sri Lanka was alive in the legend and folk history. Sacred Bodhi Tree, under which the Buddha himself attained enlightened, is still alive, tended by its hereditary guardians. Today Anuradapura boasts of the remnants of 113 kingdoms, Ruvanvelisaya (0.092Km), the Abeyagiriya Dagabe (0.113Km), Jetavana Stupa (0.112Km).
From December to April, pilgrims converge to climb the 2,224 m (7,295 ft) Adam's Peak. At the top is a huge 'footprint', claimed by Muslims to belong to Adam, who stood there in expiation of his sin in the Garden of Eden.
Never mind that Buddhists believe it to be the mark of Buddha or that Hindus hold the print to have been made by Lord Shiva (or that Christians claim it is the footprint of St. Thomas); the fact remains that it is has been a place of pilgrimage for over one thousand years.
The view from the peak at dawn is enough to shock the most cynical agnostic into a state of reverie. It takes about four hours to climb to the top from the town of Dalhousie.
Reaching the base of Adam's Peak is simple and if you're making a night ascent, you've got all day to arrive. Buses run to Dalhousie from Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, and Colombo in the pilgrimage season. Otherwise you need to get first to Hatton or Maskeliya. If you're really running late, taxis will take you to Hatton or Dalhousie. You'll need to cover 220 km (136 mi) to get there from Colombo.
Sigiriya (Lion's rock) is an ancient rock fortress and palace ruin situated in the central Matale District of Sri Lanka, surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures. A popular tourist destination, Sigiriya is also renowned for its ancient paintings,which are reminiscent of the Ajanta Caves of India. The Sigiriya was built during the reign of King Kassapa I (AD 477 – 495), and it is one of the seven World Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka.
Land area: 24,996 sq mi (64,740 sq km);
total area: 25,332 sq mi (65,610 sq km)
Population (2009 est.): 21,324,791 (growth rate: 1.0%); birth rate: 16.2/1000; infant mortality rate: 18.5/1000; life expectancy: 75.1; density per sq mi: 809
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Colombo, 2,436,000 (metro. area), 656,100 (city proper). Legislative and
judicial capital: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, 118,300
Other large cities: Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 214,300; Moratuwa, 181,000; Kandy, 112,400
