Isurumuniya Temple, Sri Lanka

Isurumuniya is a small rock temple beside the Tissa Wewa reservoir, on the southern edge of Anuradhapura. It was founded in the 3rd century BC, in the earliest days of Buddhism on the island. People come here today for its stone carvings, which are among the finest and best loved in Sri Lanka.

The carvings

• The Isurumuniya Lovers. This small slab, now kept in the temple museum, shows a man and a woman seated close together, her hand raised shyly. It's usually dated to around the 6th century, and its style recalls the Gupta art of India. Popular tradition says that the figures are Prince Saliya, son of King Dutugemunu, and Asokamala, the low-caste girl for whom he gave up the throne. Others believe they are gods.
• The elephant pond. On the rock face beside the temple pool, elephants are carved as if splashing in the water, with trunks raised. They are wonderfully lifelike.
• The man and the horse. Above the pool, a seated man with a horse's head beside him is carved into a niche in the rock. Scholars have suggested that he represents a rain god, a sage or a figure from Indian mythology.
• The royal family. Another slab in the museum shows a group of courtly figures.

The temple

The shrine itself is built into the rock, with a painted seated Buddha inside. Steps lead up and over the boulders to a small stupa and a viewpoint, from where you can see across the reservoir and the treetops to the great stupas of the city. Sunset from here is lovely. A cleft in the rock is home to a colony of bats.

The royal gardens

Next door is Ranmasu Uyana, the Royal Pleasure Gardens, with ancient stone bathing pools fed by the reservoir. On a rock face here is the Sakwala Chakraya, a mysterious circular diagram carved with symbols. It has been explained as an early map of the universe, and it has attracted all kinds of theories online, where it's nicknamed the "stargate". The gardens are free to walk through and usually empty.

Visiting

Isurumuniya charges its own entrance fee for foreign visitors, separate from the main archaeological ticket. Dress modestly, and remove your shoes and hat. Allow 45 minutes, or longer with the gardens.

Late afternoon is the best time, for softer light on the carvings and for the view at dusk. From the Sri Maha Bodhi, it's about 2 km, an easy ride by bicycle or tuk-tuk. Many visitors end their day in Anuradhapura here, after Ruwanwelisaya and the other great stupas. For background, read our short history of Sri Lanka.