🎨 Dambulla Cave Temple
Sri Lanka
About This Sacred Site
The Dambulla Cave Temple, also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla, is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. Located atop a 160-meter-high rock, the complex comprises five caves decorated with over 2,100 square meters of Buddhist murals and containing more than 150 statues of the Buddha. The caves have been a place of worship since the 1st century BCE, when King Valagamba took refuge here during a South Indian invasion. The drip-edge carved into the rock face above the caves has kept the interior dry for over two millennia.
Key Facts
- •Contains five caves with over 150 Buddha statues and 2,100 sq meters of murals
- •Dating to the 1st century BCE, it is Sri Lanka's largest cave temple complex
- •A drip-edge carved into the rock has kept the caves dry for 2,000+ years
- •The 14-meter reclining Buddha carved from rock is the largest statue in the complex
- •UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991
Location
Coordinates: 7.8568, 80.6497
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