Sri Lanka temple dress code - is knee-length shorts enough?
3 Answers from travellers
Standard rule: shoulders covered, knees covered, remove shoes/hats before entering. Knee-length shorts technically meet the knee rule but you'll get side-eyed at strict temples (Temple of Tooth in Kandy, Anuradhapura sacred sites). Better: light long trousers OR a sarong wrapped over shorts. Buy a 200 LKR sarong at any temple entrance - reusable, easy, no debates. T-shirts fine as long as shoulders covered. Avoid: tight/revealing anything, images of Buddha on clothing, red for men in sacred spaces.
Also: never turn your back to a Buddha statue for a selfie - deeply disrespectful and enforced (people have been detained). Photos of Buddha are usually fine; selfies with are usually not. Some inner sanctums prohibit all photography (signs are clear).
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