Explore Dambulla
Located in the heart of the Cultural Triangle, the town of Dambulla is famous for its remarkable cave temples – five magical, dimly lit caves of different sizes, decorated with some of the finest murals and beautifully carved statues, offering an overview of ancient Buddhist art.
The caves date back to the reign of King Vattagamini Abhaya, 1st century BC. Nissankamalla, the last King of Polonnaruwa (12th century) and several later Kandyan dynasts ( 17th and 18th centuries) have embellished and adorned the interiors of the caves with murals that are still visible today.
“Cave # 2” is the biggest and most spectacular of the formations, measuring 50 metres in length and 7 metres high. The rock is elevated 160m above the surrounding plains, offering stunning views all around, including the ancient rock fort of Sigiriya in the distance. “Cave #2” is reached by climbing up the concrete steps, watched by troops of cheeky macaque monkeys, begging visitors for food.
At the bottom of the steps is the Golden temple with a 30m tall golden Buddha, and at the summit sits the temple museum.
What to do/see around Dambulla:
- See Nalanda Gedige, a small stone temple in the South Indian architectural style which marks the very centre of Sri Lanka.
- Visit the spice gardens in and around Matale, the centre of the spice growing industry of Sri Lanka, and one of the most valuable sources for the global spice trade in both ancient and modern times.
- Take a walk through the Monastery of Aluvihare and observe the engineering put into this building which was made to house the tripitakan or ‘Triple Basket’, a term used to refer to ‘a collection of ancient Buddhist scriptures.’
- Stroll through the world’s oldest analogue forest in the Popham Arboretum, 3km off Dambulla, which began as a reforesting experiment in the 1960s and is still going strong today.
- Visit the Sri Muthumariamman Hindu Kovil, situated along the main road to Matale.
