Dambulla Cave Temple

A working temple, not a ruin. Monks have used these five caves continuously for twenty-two centuries, and the paintings covering roughly 2,100 square metres of ceiling follow the natural curve of the rock rather than being flattened onto it.

The largest cave holds a fourteen-metre reclining Buddha carved from the living rock. In another, water drips from a seam in the ceiling and runs uphill along the stone into a vessel — it has never been fully explained.

Shoes come off at the entrance and the stone gets hot by midday, so socks are worth carrying. Shoulders and knees must be covered.