Sigiriya’s 5th-century rock fortress rises 200 metres above the surrounding plains, with ancient frescoes and a mirror wall carved 1,500 years ago, still inscribed with the observations of medieval visitors. Nearby, Dambulla’s five cave temples have accumulated murals and statues over 22 centuries of unbroken Buddhist patronage, their gilded surfaces still glowing under natural light in ways that no photograph properly captures.