One of Asia’s most important multi-faith pilgrimage sites – a cluster of Buddhist, Hindu and Vedda shrines built around the sacred Menik Ganga river in the deep south of Sri Lanka. The Esala festival in July and August involves fire-walking and acts of devotion that are not performed for visitors and are not staged for tourism, which is exactly what makes them worth witnessing. The quieter Poya day rhythm of the shrine complex is equally powerful for those who prefer to experience it outside festival season.