Why You'll Love Yapahuwa Yapahuwa served as Sri Lanka's capital for barely two decades in the 13th century, but left behind one of the island's most photogenic monuments — a steep, ornately carved stone stairway climbing a granite outcrop, guarded by stone lions at its base.
A steep stone staircase flanked by elaborately carved balustrades and guardian figures, among the finest surviving examples of medieval Sinhalese stone carving.
The remains of a temple and palace once housed Sri Lanka's Sacred Tooth Relic during the capital's brief occupation.
Yapahuwa sits roughly midway between Kurunegala and Anuradhapura, and pairs naturally with either.
