Dambulla Cave Temple

දඹුල්ල රජමහා විහාරය

Five rock-cut cave temples dating from the 1st century BCE, with 157 Buddha statues and walls covered in paintings. It is Sri Lanka’s best-preserved cave art.

The Dambulla Cave Temple, also known as the Golden Temple, sits on a 160-meter rock hill about 20 km southwest of Sigiriya. In the 1st century BCE, King Valagamba took refuge here during his exile. After regaining the throne, he carved out the caves and founded the temple, which later rulers continually expanded. It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1991. Five caves line the rock face at the summit. They contain 157 Buddha statues, including a 14-meter reclining Buddha, and about 2,100 square meters of murals. The Second Cave, the “Great King Cave,” is the most magnificent. Fifty-six Buddha statues encircle the chamber, and the domed ceiling paints the life of the Buddha and the history of Ceylon. A spring drips from the rock ceiling into a golden bowl, said never to run dry. At the foot of the hill, the golden Buddha statue and the Buddhist museum were built in 2000. Entry for foreigners is LKR 2,000, and the temple is open 07:00 to 19:00, with ticket sales until 18:00. The climb up the steps takes 15 to 20 minutes, and there are monkeys along the way, so don’t carry food. Dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered, and remove your shoes (shoe storage costs LKR 50). Photography inside is allowed, but don’t pose with your back to a Buddha statue. It is best to visit Sigiriya and Dambulla on the same day, either Sigiriya at dawn and Dambulla in the afternoon, or the reverse. Dambulla is also a transport hub of the Cultural Triangle, about 2.5 hours to Kandy and about 1.5 hours to Polonnaruwa.

Dambulla Cave Temple

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