Colombo is consumed by the pursuit of wealth and power, yet no earthly fortune can purchase an escape from mortality. Sri Ponnambalawaneswarar Temple offers a striking encounter with the ancient power of Hindu devotion. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, generations bring him their grief and fears, seeking protection from forces beyond human command. Within the windowless grey corridors of this granite fortress, the fragile mortal world is drawn directly into the cold, eternal embrace

A fugitive king once sought refuge beneath this colossal granite mountain. More than two millennia later, the Dambulla Cave Temple that sheltered him contains one of Sri Lanka's most extraordinary sacred worlds. Five enormous chambers are engulfed by ancient murals depicting celestial wars and the cosmic struggle between enlightenment and destruction. Beneath the painted chaos, 157 statues sit completely undisturbed by the passing of centuries and the rise and fall of empires