Not all Buddhist temples are ancient, nor are they all conservative affairs. The colourful, somewhat garish, modern Wewurukannala Temple at Dikwella village near Matara is quite an eyeful, featuring hundreds of brightly painted and gilded models depicting scenes from the life of Buddha, and numerous murals, some of them rather ghoulish. There is also a Buddha effigy that is one of the world's tallest, equalling the height of a five-storey building, which visitors can ascend on the inside to enjoy the view from the top.

Address: Dikwella

Opening times: Daily from dawn to dusk.