K INGDOMS IN SRI LANKA                                                             Ancient Cities of Sri Lanka. Exquisitely carved stonefriezes, serene statues of Lord Buddha, dazzlinglydecorated temples built in to rocky overhangs, and feats of irrigation thatamaze the world eventoday are just some of the treasures left by a proud civilisation stretchingback more than twothousand years.

Glorious Reminders of a Resplendent Past The remains of Sri Lanka’s ancient and medievalcivilisations palaces, monasteries, shrines, water gardensand temples bear witness to thriving kingdoms and tothe influence of Buddhism.These reminders of the past are so outstanding that fiveareas have the distinction of being designated WorldHeritage Sites by UNESCO. Fortunately for the visitor, four of these are conveniently located in the same region,