Lanka's Ancient Art
An extensive collection of wall paintings offering insight into ancient lifestyles exists in the image houses and preaching halls of buddhist temples The survival of art from prehistoric times is a rare phenomenon since the materials used for pigment were perishable. But wall paintings by Sri Lanka's first inhabitants, the Veddhas, are found in 33 rock- shelter sites, portraying stylised animal forms, hunting figures and symbolic motifs. They offer an insight into their imagination and lifestyles Lanka's tradition of wall painting dates from the 2nd century BC and continues up to the present day. Many of the later frescoes have the detail of Indian miniatures, with the complexity of a Russian icon. They provide a record of upper-class social life of the time, including architectural detail and social customs. All have been well preserved in image houses, relic chambers of stupas and monastic residences.
Sri Lanka's murals fall into three distinct categories. First, there are the early fragmentary paintings, which include the female figures from the 5th-century palace of Sigiriya. Second, there are the murals of the Kandyan school, which arose from 1750-1815, before British colonisation, whose style has been preserved largely thanks to a renaissance in Buddhist art. Lastly, there is the Southern tradition, which used much decorative detail, with costumes reflecting significant changes occurring with Portuguese and Dutch invasion.

SriLanka's Early Portraits
Art dating from the 5th century is extremely rare because organic pigments do not often survive thousands of years. In many temples, ancient art has been over painted in more recent times in a style which makes the Buddhist texts easily intelligible to today's worshipper. 
The ancient rock palace of Sigiriva, with its bare- breasted women, either celestial beings, queens or ladies-in-waiting, received priority restoration treatment from UNESCO on account of its great  age , beauty and rarity. Of the original 550 figures, only 23 remain today due to vandalism through the centuries. These damsels, who are thought to represent clouds and thunder, are notable for being the only non-religious frescoes in Sri Lanka. The Sigiriva artists used a mix of alluvial clay, paddy husks, sand, lime and vegetable fibres to paint onto three lavers of plaster. For colour they used vegetable dyes, in a style similar to the Ajanta rock paintings of India. To view these legendary women at their glowing best, visit the temple in soft late afternoon light.