Dambulla Cave Temple

Dambulla Rajamaha Viharaya is a Rajamaha Viharaya located in the Matale District in the central part of Sri Lanka. This site is located 148 km northeast of Colombo and 72 km north of Kandy. This is the largest and best preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka.

The peak rises 160 m above the surrounding plain. There are more than 80 documented caves around here. Of these, 5 caves with statues and paintings are the main attractions. These paintings and statues are associated with Lord Buddha and his life.

There are a total of 153 Buddha statues, 3 statues of Sri Lankan kings and 4 statues of gods and goddesses. Among the four mentioned later are two idols of the Hindu gods Vishnu and Gana. The murals cover an area of 2,100 square meters. Among the developments on the walls is the first sermon of the Lord Buddha, which was taken by a demon to provoke the Buddha.

Prehistoric Sri Lankans may have lived in these cave complexes before the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, as human skeletal burials dating back to more than 2700 years (700 BC) have been found in the Ibbankatuwa area near the Dambulla cave complex.