The ancient city region of Sri Lanka lies north of the hill country, in one of the driest part of the island. During the golden age of Sinhalese civilization, which reached its peak over 1000 years ago, the Sinhalese overcame continual harassment from invading South Indian forces to build two great cities (Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa)and create many other magnificent reminders of the strength of their Buddhist culture, only to abandon them all. For 1000 years the jungle did its best to reclaim them, but major archaeological excavations over the past century have restored them to some of their past glory.
Kandy is a good starting point for a visit to the ancient city region. The two highlight sites apart from Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa are Sigiriya and Dambulla.
