Dambulla cave temple or the Golden temple of Dambulla is Sri Lanka’s largest preserved cave temple. It is a world heritage site in Sri Lanka situated in Dambulla. Its approximately 160-metre-tall rock towers has almost 80 documented caves, among which only 5 are open for the tourists.
It’s the largest and best-preserved cave temple in Sri Lanka which has 157 statues. The cave is famous for its Buddhist mural paintings covering 2100 m2 area. It’s also sacred pilgrimage site for 22 centuries and is well maintained.
The golden buddha statue is visible from quiet a far distance and it has a museum alongside. When we visited the face of the statue, which looked like a defect earlier later we realised its bee hive. This museum and statue is was bult much later.
There are Buddhist flags on the left side as soon as you enter. The five colours of Buddhist flag signify six coloured rays, viz., blue, yellow, red, white, orange, and the combination of all these five colours emitted from his body during his fourth week of enlightment.
Also, the first structure is the golden stupa, which is a Buddhist temple and thereafter you see the big golden statue.
The stairway to the cave temple is steep and there are close to 364 steps and the pathway is covered with trees from both sides and the steps are uneven so you have to be careful. Also, you will be interrupted by monkeys here and there. You will also notice few vendors selling flowers and some prayer items.
The entry fee is 1500 Sri Lanka rupees per person.
The entrance of the temple looks like an ancient Dravidian temple. These cave temples are very well preserved and their maintenance is done time to time. The uniqueness of the temple lies in the fact that its carved by the monks out from rock.
The arched colonnades are one of the most unique and heritage features of the temple. Major attractions are spread over five caves which contain statues and paintings of Lord Buddha and his life. Buddha images were first to be painted here 2000 years ago, then subsequently the king added to and embellished the art furthermore.
I was really fascinated by the intricate and delicate paintings that cover the ceiling and walls, created with traditional vegetable dyes. The intricacy of the painting is commendable and the more you explore the more you will be fascinated. Especially, the detailing on the feet of the enormous buddha statue in the first cave. The statue of buddha is 14 metres tall and is carved out of stone and repainted occasionally. For an art and history lover like me, I was spell bound by these paintings.
The view from the top of the temple is as beautiful and scenic as inside the temple. After visiting these cave temples, you would definitely appreciate the talented monks who have put together the effort to create such a beautiful cave temple.
The one assurance I can give you is you will definitely be amazed on the fact of excellent artisanship of ancient era.
Harrytinkers
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