maverickbirdOne of my most beautiful memories of Sri Lanka is of the painted cave temple of Dambulla. I liked the little Sinhalese town as much as the site itself and stayed there after my Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa visits. Though not my originally planned pit stop, Dambulla charmed me so much that I gladly stayed there for two nights. My original travel base was Kandy at that time and it was from that I planned my cultural triangle getaway. Although Dambulla was planned as a quick stop before returning back to Kandy, wandering herds of elephants at the Minneriya National Park got me delayed. Traveling on a hot summer Sri Lankan day also slowed me down considerably and Sigiriya sapped up my energy. I found the climb to the top of lion pawed Sigiriya incredibly intimidating and the exquisite ancient city of Poḷonnaruwa was too large to be enjoyed in a few hours. Combining all of them in one day was not a very smart idea and this required me to leave Kandy before dawn.
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How I ended up staying in Dambulla
Early start, long road trip, overwhelming archaeological treasures, and intense noon heat left me bone exhausted when a large orange sunset gloriously at Dambulla. Kandy was still been around 80 kilometers away when dusk started falling fast. Since the stretches of road onward from Dambulla are notorious for being frequented by wild animals after sunset, my tuk-tuk driver refused to drive anymore that night. It had been a long day of work for him too and so to keep the peace and enjoy Dambulla’s famous painted caves at ease, I made an unplanned night halt at a small family run B&B. The cozy family home was located on the opposite side of the famous Cave Temple and for its location, the price was unbelievably cheap. My room was very comfortable with working air conditioning, a clean bathroom, and a beautiful garden that opened up right in front of the door. The owners were a friendly family who had taken in the tuk-tuk driver also within their quarters and it was one of my most pleasant evenings in Sri Lanka.
Beautiful Dambulla Cave
An early start to Dambulla
Unknown to me at that time, Dambulla has the reputation of having super expensive hotels and thus, my find of the little B&B was like a stroke of good luck. Better luck followed the next morning when I found the ticket counter of Dambulla’s cave temple to be absolutely empty. There was only a solitary local pilgrim clutching a bunch of blue lotuses and she accompanied me up the steps in peaceful silence. The cave temples sat 160 meters atop an enormous granite outcrop and they were cut out of the rock face in a most painstaking way. Even the access was carved in a series of steps and ramps on the vast, sloping rock and dry semi-arid vegetation grew fuzzily around them. The early start made the hike very pleasant and silent silvery langurs watched us underneath a soft blue sky. The views became more and more beautiful as I neared the top and soon the sweeping panorama of the dry golden plains stretched until Sigiriya, which was about 20 kilometers away.
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The incredible statues
The history of Dambulla Cave Temples
An important Buddhist pilgrimage spot, Dambulla Cave Temple or the Golden Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The complex dates back to the 1st century BC. According to history, the caves were used as a place of worship since King Valagamba was driven out of Anuradhapura by the South Indian invaders. The fleeing ruler took refuge at Dambulla caves, where he remained under the protection of the Buddhist monks for 14 long years until regaining his throne. After getting back to power, the grateful monarch had the interior of the caves carved into magnificent rock temples and over the years later kings like King Nissanka Malla and Kandyan dynasty rulers further enhanced the grandeur. Thus the murals, for which the temples gained popularity, were repainted and retouched numerous times throughout ages and today most of its paintings date from the 19th century. Renowned as one of the most beautiful and oldest cave frescoes in the world, Dambulla interested me a lot and I looked forward to a very rewarding morning.
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Beautiful frescoes
Don’t be disheartened by the modern exteriors
It was this excitement, which made me rush up the last steep stretch in a hurry and I was a bit out of breath by the time the summit arrived. Upon reaching the top, however, I was shocked by the complex’s rather unimpressive exteriors and the dull rock face was decorated gaudily with recent additions of arched colonnades and fancy gables. The result was Disney like artificial garishness and its only highlight from the outside was a rock-cut blue lotus pool around which praying monks stepped silently. The series of its famous five caves curved underneath a vast overhanging rock and a carved drip line sheltered the interiors from destructive natural elements.
Dambulla caves have incredible lighting
Dambulla has the largest antique painted surface in the world
Although the exteriors were far from fetching, the insides of the caves took my breath away. The cavernous interiors, which are partitioned off into 5 compartments are covered with exquisite 2,000 years old murals. As many as 157 statues of Buddha in various sizes and poses are also been crammed inside and the combined effect is jaw-dropping. The vivid frescoes on the walls and ceiling made the Dambulla Golden Temple the largest antique painted surface in the world and in the dim light, the colourful murals bloomed like beautiful surprises. Some of the caves doubled up as shrines and one held a gorgeous 15 meters long reclining Buddha. The themes of the murals are heavily Buddhist in nature with some glimpses of life during the rule of the patron king thrown in. Thus stories from the life of Lord Buddha, bodhisattvas, various gods and goddesses, Jataka tales crowded inside the caves and the intricate painted patterns cleverly followed the contours of the rock.
Dambulla turned out to be amazing unexpected pit stop
The stunning frescoes of Dambulla caves
The astonishing array of exquisite frescoes represented themes and floral, geometric designs, paisley, checkered mosaic, and figures were heavily used. The painting style, which had differed through various epochs, are basically Sinhalese Buddhist in nature and brilliant reds and yellows predominated the surfaces. The caves which are marked with Roman numeric are like an incredible ancient art gallery and the sheer scale made them look larger than reality. Clever use of natural and artificial light too added to their mysticism and the long rows of bodhisattvas in various poses had an astonishing effect. The statues sprung up from every nook and cranny and more than once I experienced the uneasy feeling of being watched upon by a thousand eyes. The effect was because of the scale of the murals and the gilded interiors earned the complex the title of Ran Giri or the Golden Cave Temple. Many interesting legends like a queen’s treasure being hidden inside the small dagoba in Cave IV are associated with the caves and l spent nearly half a day there. Time slipped away fast inside the painted caves of Dambulla and it was one of the highlights of my Sri Lanka trip.
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It was a very pleasant experience
Dambulla Travel Tips
How to Reach: Dambulla is easily accessible by bus from Kandy (around 80 km away) and Colombo (148 km away). The Dambulla bus station is around 1 km outside town on Kandy road and buses to Sigiriya are available there. Most travelers start with Dambulla and combine it with Sigiriya. It is also possible to combine it with Anuradhapura and/or Polonnaruwa. Tuk-tuks are a popular mode of transportation between Sigiriya and Dambulla.
Where to Stay: There are plenty of resorts, boutique hotels and B&Bs in Dambulla though unfortunately, they are not cheap. I stayed at the family-run Relax Guesthouse opposite Dambulla Cave Temple. It was cheap, comfortable and clean.
What to See: The Dambulla Caves are the main attraction of the town and the complex is reached after about 10 minutes of climbing up the stone steps.
The Entrance Fee and other information: The entrance fee for foreigners is 1500 LKR and the Cultural Triangle ticket does not Dambulla Caves. The counter is at the entrance of the garish Golden Temple complex on the left side of the lion building of the Golden Temple and the tickets are checked at the top.
Best time to visit the Dambulla Caves: Because of the heat, it makes sense to cover Dambulla Caves in the morning or evening. Best photography conditions exist in the morning when there’s no crowd and the filtering light inside the cave is fresh. Although photography is permitted inside the caves, refrain from using flash. Other points of interest in Dambulla include an ironwood forest (Nauyana Aranya) and the area has the largest rose quartz mountain range in South Asia. (Credits – Wikitravel)
Containing a series of
Of five beautifully
Painted caves full of
Incredible statues and
A mysterious dagoba,
The holy Buddhist
Pilgrimage spot of
The Dambulla Cave Temple
Had been an
Beautiful and
Offbeat experience
Of Sri Lanka.
Follow the rest of the Sri Lanka series here
- WHAT I LOVED ABOUT SRI LANKA
- COLOMBO TRAVEL GUIDE
- COLOMBO VIBES
- KOLLUPITIYA MARKET IN COLOMBO PHOTO WALK
- MIRISSA DAYS
- THE STILT FISHERMEN AND CAVE TEMPLE OF KOGGALA
- MOONSTONE MINES AND MASKS FOR DEVIL DANCING: GALLE OFFBEAT THINGS
- A VERY RELAXING WEEK IN KANDY
- KANDY TRAVEL GUIDE FOR SLOW TRAVELING
- AN ADVENTURE TO DAMBANA
- MEETING THE ELUSIVE VEDDAS OF SRI LANKA
NOTE: In view of the security situation in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of terror attacks on 21 April 2019, the updated travel advisory states that the security situation in Sri Lanka is gradually returning to normal with the lifting of curfew & restrictions on social media and the opening of schools. Foreign nationals travelling to Sri Lanka are advised to be careful and vigilant.
RESPONSIBLE TRAVELING-BECAUSE I CARE
RESPONSIBLE TRAVELING-BECAUSE I CARE