When the brutal South Indian invaders were laying waste to the land, the great King Valagamba fled his throne to collect his armies while hiding in the caves of Dambulla. 12 long years he hid and in the end, he led his armies to battle and won back his motherland. In gratitude for providing a safe haven, the king converted the Dambulla caves into a great Buddhist temple. Called the Golden Temple of Dambulla, it is the largest, best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka.
So if you’re visiting Sri Lanka, do make it a point to visit the temple as you will not be disappointed. The temple is located in the central part of the country, about 4 hours away from Colombo, the city where the Bandaranaike International Airport is situated at. But don’t worry; though it is a bit out of the way, there are plenty of good Sri Lanka resorts the likes of the Heritance Kandalama, in close proximity to the temple. There are so many buses that regularly arrive in Dambulla from Colombo and other major cities like Kandy and Sigiriya. You will have to pay an entrance fee of Rs 1500 (9.88 USD).
The Golden Temple of Dambulla holds such historical and architectural value that it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dating far back to the first century BCE, the caves have been a sacred pilgrimage site for 22 centuries and during this time there have many renovations added to it to make it the masterpiece it is today.
Covering an area of 2,100 m2 the complex holds within it five caves that altogether contain 157 beautifully carved statues. Some of these are Buddha statues while others are of kings. There are also stunning murals which are created in a unique style of art in such vibrant colours. You will see that the mouths of the caves have drip ledges carved into them. This is because King Valagamba wanted the caves to be protected against rainy weather so that the rain would flow through these ledges and not seep into the caves where Buddhist monks would be meditating in peace.
