It had been a tough climb. I had started in complete darkness three hours earlier in the one-street village of Nallathanni. Only a few days before, I had never heard of the place, but that was where the train conductor advised me to spend the night. With the help of a cheap torch bought at a local guesthouse, I had picked my way through thick jungle foliage inhabited by elephants, wild boar and leopards – as well as leeches and other nasties – before passing beneath temple arches overrun by creepers and finally making the long ascent up countless knee-shaking steps hewn from rock. It all seemed very Indiana Jones-like – especially as the only human footfall had been mine. It couldn’t have been farther from the hullaballoo of the capital Colombo, 140km to the west.