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An aerial view of the Dambulla Temple, enclosed in a large rock cave.

Language. English is widely spoken in Sri Lanka— not only in the tourism industry but also in shops, restaurants and offices. It is also the lingua franca of the country’s professionals. The local languages are Sinhala and Tamil (also spoken in southern India). Tourist guides who speak German and French are common.

Culture. A long continuous history, with regular injections of ‘outside’ influence, has resulted in Sri Lanka enjoying a colorful cultural heritage. This has led to the development of unique styles of dance, the best-known among which is ‘Kandyan dancing’, performed to the throbbing of drums. While indigenous Sri Lankan music has inevitably suffered from the influence of introduced western styles, strong traditions continue in art, especially masks and temple art, as exemplified in the Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Buddha’s Tooth Relic, in Kandy); and the Kelaniya and Dambulla vihares (temples).

Sport. While soccer is the most popular participatory sport in Sri Lanka, cricket remains the most popular spectator game: Sri Lanka became world cricket champions in 1996, a title they lost to Australia in the World Cup tournament of 1999. Several other sports are also popular, chief among them rugby.

The perahera procession travels through the Kandy town both in daytime and (more impressively), at night.			Women beat a communal drum, part of the elaborate ritual and festivity that accompanies the traditional new year in mid-April
Gaudily-painted, often outsize masks play an important part in Sri Lankan tradition and dance.		Sigiriya, the 200-meter high 5th century rock fortress, one face of which contains priceless frescoes. Visitors may ascend the rock and enjoy the beautiful symmetry of the gardens below.

Kandy was one of the last repositories of Sri Lankan culture, falling to the British only in 1815. Kandyan dance, always to the throbbing of festive drums, is an art-form that has endured the centuries to be enjoyed by latter-day Sri Lankans.	Kandyan nilames (chiefs) prepare for the perahera, a harvest festival celebrated for the week preceding the August full moon, in which as many as a hundred caparisoned elephants may participate.	A mural in the Dambulla temple: the walls are festooned with art representing episodes from the life of the Buddha and Buddhist legend.

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