Mulkirigala Rock Temple

Five terraces of cave temples cut into a 200-metre rock, climbed by 533 steps under frangipani trees. The reclining Buddhas and 18th-century murals are on a par with Dambulla, and it was in the library here that George Turnour found the Pali commentary that finally allowed the Mahavamsa chronicle to be translated — which is to say, much of what is known about early Sri Lankan history was unlocked on this rock. Perhaps twenty visitors a day.