First to step-up pinnawala elephant orphanage, the word "elephant orphanage" may be unfamiliar, yet it is entirely factual and real. The quiet grounds are committed to providing a natural habitat for captive elephant babies ranging in age from weeks to fifty years. The herd can be housed at the only orphanage of its sort on the planet to date. Next, visit Dambulla Cave Temple. Dambulla Temple has five caverns (shrine rooms). All of these caverns are filled with statues of Buddha and other figures from Buddhist history. These caverns include 150 Buddha pictures. Cave No. 5 (the final in the series) has little historical significance because it was built in the second decade of the twentieth century. The other caverns all have sculptures and paintings from various epochs of Sinhalese sculpture and painting. Some believe Dambulla`s early paintings date from the 8th century A.C. However, due to overpainting, this cannot be proven. Nonetheless, this location is a treasure trove of decorative motifs, the patterns of which are similar to those of Sigiriya. Finally, we visit the Sigiriya Rock fortress. Sigiriya is an old rock castle and palace erected by King Kashyapa between 473 and 495 that stands 660 feet straight up. This fortified garden city of Sigiriya rock fortress is an exceptional master piece of ancient urban planning, landscape and architecture, construction technology, exceptional hydraulic engineering and management, and ancient fine art with a unique harmony between nature and human imagination, with all these living examples proving that it was a well-planned city and palace in the 5th century AD. Sigiriya Rock Castle is known as one of the best preserved 1st millennium surviving ancient urban sites in Asia, or simply as a living museum. At the end of the day, we finish the tour.
