The best ancient capitals to visit in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's first great capital, Anuradhapura, lasted from roughly the fourth century BC to the eleventh century AD. Invasions from South India eventually forced the kings to Polonnaruwa, which flourished under Parakramabahu I in the twelfth century and fell in the thirteenth.

After that, the centre of power drifted south-west, away from the vulnerable northern plains, through Dambadeniya, Yapahuwa, Kurunegala, Gampola and Kotte. In the sixteenth century, as the Portuguese took the coast, the kingdom split, and Kandy became the last independent capital until 1815.

Meanwhile, in the south, the kingdom of Ruhuna had its own capital at Magama, near today's Tissamaharama, which played a key role in early history.

Anuradhapura is the most important. Its sacred city includes the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, the oldest documented tree in the world, and the giant stupas of Ruwanwelisaya, Jetavanaramaya and Abhayagiri. It is still a living pilgrimage site, and white-clad pilgrims give it a special atmosphere.

Polonnaruwa is smaller and easier to explore. The royal palace, the Quadrangle with its circular Vatadage and the four giant Buddhas of the Gal Vihara are among the island's finest sights. The huge Parakrama Samudra reservoir shows the scale of medieval engineering.

Each deserves a full day. If you have time for only one, Polonnaruwa is more compact, while Anuradhapura is older and more spiritual.

Sigiriya was the capital of King Kashyapa in the fifth century, built on and around a giant rock. The frescoes, the mirror wall, the lion's paws and the palace ruins on the summit make it Sri Lanka's most famous site. After Kashyapa's death, it became a monastery again.

Kandy, the last royal capital, held out against the Portuguese and Dutch before falling to the British in 1815. The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the royal palace buildings and the lake built by the last king, Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, remain at the heart of the city.

Lankan Stays & Trails usually builds its cultural routes around these four capitals, adding one of the smaller seats where it fits the journey.

Yapahuwa, near Maho, is the most impressive of the later capitals: a rock fortress with an ornate lion-guarded staircase where the Tooth Relic was kept in the thirteenth century. Dambadeniya, near Kurunegala, has a rock and temple remains. Kurunegala itself was briefly a capital and has Ethagala rock above the town.

Gampola, south of Kandy, was the capital in the fourteenth century. Its main legacy is a group of fine temples nearby, Lankatilaka, Gadaladeniya and Embekka, often visited from Kandy. Kotte, now Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, was the capital in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and a few remains survive among its suburbs and wetlands.

Sitawaka, near Avissawella, was the seat of a sixteenth-century kingdom that fought the Portuguese, and has the unfinished Berendi Kovil ruins. Tissamaharama, in the south, has large stupas and ancient reservoirs from the Ruhuna kingdom.

For most travellers, Sigiriya, Kandy and one of Anuradhapura or Polonnaruwa are enough. History enthusiasts can add the other great capital, then Yapahuwa on the drive between Colombo and the Cultural Triangle, and Gampola's temples from Kandy.

Tissamaharama is easiest when visiting Yala, and Kotte when spending time in Colombo. Sitawaka suits travellers driving between Colombo and Ratnapura or Kitulgala.

The northern capitals are hot, so visit early and late in the day. Dress codes apply at all sacred sites, with shoulders and knees covered and shoes removed.