About 15 km west of Kandy near Peradeniya, Gadaladeniya is one of three fourteenth-century rock temples that can be visited on a single half-day trip (the others are Lankatilaka and Embekke Devale). The temple sits on a natural rock outcrop and combines a South Indian Dravidian-style entrance shrine with a Sinhalese moonstone and guardstone ensemble. The main shrine contains a large seated Buddha flanked by bodhisattva figures.
A tuk-tuk from Kandy to all three temples typically costs around 2,000–2,500 rupees for the round trip; allow three to four hours. The temples are close together and can be linked by a pleasant fifteen-minute walk through paddy fields and rubber plantations.