In the vicinity of Maligawila is yet another magnificent work of art, a 32ft statue of Bodhisatva, an aspirant to become a Buddha. A number of rock pillars are strewn across the area, a landmark of the 10th Century, judging by a rock inscription.

The story here is mind-shattering as you’d hear how this ancient statue was vandalized and scattered into hundreds of small pieces in the 1950s before archeologists painstakingly put it back together – piece by piece.