Kandy Buddhist temple, Esala Perahera festival, Kandy cultural sites, UNESCO sacred city Kandy The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is one of the most sacred in the entire Buddhist world. The ornate golden-roofed temple complex sits on the shores of Kandy Lake in the heart of the hill capital, and three times daily the inner shrine is opened for puja ceremonies attended by hundreds of worshippers, filling the air with the sound of drums, flutes and the fragrance of incense and lotus flowers. The annual Esala Perahera festival, held in July and August, sees the sacred tooth paraded through the streets of Kandy on a decorated elephant in one of the grandest processions.

The Koneswaram Temple is a Hindu shrine perched on Swami Rock, a promontory that falls sheer into the sea above Trincomalee harbour. The site is celebrated for its natural setting, its richly decorated gopuram tower and the sacred Lover's Leap viewpoint at the cliff's edge, where a Dutch colonial official's daughter is said to have leapt to her death after learning of her lover's deception. Koneswaram remains an active centre of Hindu pilgrimage and is one of the most beautiful and spiritually charged sacred sites in Sri Lanka.

The Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque, universally known as the Red Mosque, is a confection of red and white striped candy-cane architecture that sits in the heart of the Pettah. Built in 1909 in a style that blends South Indian and European Baroque architectural elements, the mosque's exterior is a beloved symbol of the city's multicultural heritage. The surrounding streets of Pettah are some of the most vibrant in Colombo, alive with the commerce and colour of Sri Lanka's Muslim community, and the mosque sits at the very heart of this lively, aromatic urban world.

Gangaramaya Temple is one of Sri Lanka's most fascinating Buddhist temples, a sprawling complex of interconnected buildings set beside the Beira Lake that functions as a place of worship, a museum and a cultural institution. The temple hosts the Navam Perahera festival each February, when processions of decorated elephants, drummers and dancers circle the Beira Lake in one of Colombo's most spectacular annual events. For first-time visitors to Colombo, Gangaramaya offers a wonderfully idiosyncratic introduction to Sri Lankan Buddhist culture and the living complexity of contemporary urban worship.

Jaffna is a city of beauty, resilience and spiritual depth, home to some of the most magnificent Hindu temples on the island alongside a fascinating Dutch colonial heritage, a distinct culinary tradition and a warm-hearted community. The Nallur Kandaswamy Temple is the spiritual heart of the city and the site of the spectacular Nallur festival each year, during which the streets fill with devoted pilgrims. The Dutch Fort, the Jaffna Public Library and the Casuarina Beach all form part of the city's layered identity, reflecting centuries of Dravidian, Dutch and British influences.