Isurumuniya Rock Temple

Isurumuniya is a rock temple dating to the 3rd century BC, built during the reign of King Devanampiyatissa, and stands at the southern edge of the Tissa Wewa reservoir. The site is most famous for a carved stone panel known as 'The Lovers', depicting a man and a woman in intimate closeness, believed by some scholars to represent a Gupta-period prince and a princess in a royal betrothal. A second celebrated carving shows a man seated in a relaxed posture next to a horse, believed to depict Parinda, a nobleman of the royal court. The natural rock pool at the base of the boulders was used as a bathing pool by the royal family and remains full year-round. The small on-site museum holds the original carvings in climate-controlled conditions. Combine with Tissa Wewa for a pleasant late-afternoon walk.