Sigiriya’s rock fortress rises 200 metres above the surrounding jungle like a misplaced mesa, its 5th-century frescoes and mirror wall inscriptions representing one of the ancient world’s most ambitious architectural and artistic projects. Nearby Dambulla holds five cave temples sealed within a living rock face – murals and statues accumulating over 22 centuries of unbroken Buddhist patronage, their gilded surfaces still glowing in natural light.