The Dambulla Cave Temples

I'll admit that after the enormous monuments in Anuradhapura, I didn't expect much of a surprise from the cave temples in the town of Dambulla. I wasn't even tempted by the fact that they're one of the largest and best-preserved cave temples in Sri Lanka (sometimes referred to as the Golden Temple of Dambulla). I got up at daybreak at 6:30, had a good breakfast, and set off toward the caves.

Right by the road I was greeted by the Golden Temple, built in 2001, which literally shone with gold and newness. It struck me more like some sort of fairground attraction, so I tactfully skipped it and headed up the hill to admire temples that are much, much older. Around this hill there are more than 80 documented caves. The main temple complex has five in all.

I arrived really early and practically woke the gatekeeper. In the morning light I slowly stepped into a place whose history began to be written more than 2000 years ago. The view of the surrounding landscape and the day just waking up were already a beautiful invitation into the rock complex. In the turbulent times of the first century BC, King Valagamba, who had been driven out of Anuradhapura, found refuge here. He hid here for a time, and only after he had reclaimed his throne did he have a temple founded here. It is dominated by a rock overhang, built up with a kind of colonnade (which is new and dates from the 20th century) that serves as the entrance to the individual caves.

The first cave of the complex is the Temple of the King of the Gods (Devaraja Viharaya). In this small space, a 14-meter-long statue of the reclining Buddha awaited me. It is carved from a single piece of rock and its length fills almost the entire room. Next comes the Temple of the Great King (Maharaja Vihara). Here I truly stood in amazement for several minutes. The cave is really vast, with incredible decoration. It's probably the most beautiful place I saw here. Besides more than fifty statues of the Buddha, I could also admire statues of the kings Vattagamani Abhaya and Nissanka Malla and of the gods Saman and Vishnu. As soon as I recovered from my astonishment and walked through the cave, I took out my tripod and made a few photographs here.

The third cave is called the Great New Temple (Maha Alut Vihara). Under King Kirti Sri Rajasinha (1747–1782), wall paintings in the so-called "Kandyan" style were created here. There is also a statue of the aforementioned king and another 50 statues of the Buddha. Then came the Western Temple (Paccima Viharaya) and the Second New Temple (Devana Alut). These structures were much smaller, but they too were definitely worth a visit. Once more I returned to the Temple of the Great King and tried to photograph that indescribable atmosphere and thus amplify the feelings I had gathered here.

It's no wonder the Dambulla cave temples have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1991. Even though I hadn't promised myself much of an experience from them, I left thrilled, and if I ever set out for Sri Lanka again, I hope to come back here too.

Tip 1: Tickets (in 2018 it was 1500 rupees per person) are sold near the Golden Temple.
Tip 2: Definitely go to the caves first thing in the morning when they open. The atmosphere is perfect.

Tip 3: Enjoy the beautiful landscape on the climb up to the caves.
Tip 4: If you want to take meaningful photos, bring a tripod. There's really only minimal lighting in the caves.