Isurumuniya, standing just next to the Tissa Lake, beautifully combines spirituality with art. It is renowned for its stone carvings of which the most famous one is the “Isurumuniya Lovers”. The other carvings are of horseman, bathing elephants and the royal family. The temple was built by King Devanampiyatissa, who, during his reign, ordained 500 children to a life of priesthood and dedicated the temple as a monastic complex to house them all.