Sri Lanka | Dambulla Cave Temple - Masterpiece Of Exceptional Craftsmanship

Sigiriya is an attraction not to be missed while in Sri Lanka. However, a visit to the famous Lion Rock should take no more than 3-4 hours. With nothing else to do around Sigiriya, where else should travellers go for the day? Thankfully, 30 minutes away from Sigiriya in the city of Dambulla lies another UNESCO Heritage that you shouldn’t miss – Dambulla Cave Temple

For other places of attractions in Sri Lanka, read my travel guide with sample itinerary and cost breakdown ➢ 12 Days Sri Lanka In Less Than RM2.2K - Visa Application, Sample Itinerary & Cost Breakdown

The History of Dambulla Cave Temple 

Dambulla Cave Temple is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. Sitting atop a 160m high rock, it consists of five caves under a vast overhanging rock, carved with a drip line to keep the interiors dry. Inside the caves, the ceilings are painted with intricate patterns of religious images following the contours of the rock. There are images of the Lord Buddha and bodhisattvas, as well as various gods and goddesses.  

It is assumed pre-historic Sri Lankan dating back around 3000 years would have lived in these cave complexes before the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. This is evident by the burial sites with human skeletons discovered at Ibbankatuwa near the Dambulla cave complexes.

Interestingly, the cave monastery here is still functional, and remains the best-preserved ancient edifice in Sri Lanka. It dates from the third and second centuries BC, when it was already established as one of the largest and most important monasteries.  

It costs 1500 rupee to enter the Dambulla Cave Temple and you will need to purchase the ticket from the office located at the bottom of the hill. If you hiked all the way up (about 364 stairs, less than 30 minutes climb) without getting a ticket first, you would need to go back down to get the ticket.

As with other temples, visitors are required to remove their shoes before entering, leaving the shoes at the rack next to the cave complexes. A fee of 25 rupee per person is imposed for shoekeeping. Other than that, you are also required to cover your knees and shoulder. So do take note.  

Getting To Dambulla Cave Temple 

Most people combine the trip to Dambulla Cave Temple with Sigiriya as they are only half an hour apart by tuk tuk. I would suggest doing Sigiriya in the morning and Dambulla Cave Temple after lunch. I recommend lunch at Bentota Bake House Dambulla where you can get affordable Sri Lankan curry and local bakery items. It is conveniently located along the way to Dambulla Cave Temple (only 6 minutes away), making it a great stopover.  

Bentota Bake House 

Address: A9, Dambulla 21100, Sri Lanka 

Opening hours: 6am – 10.30pm, daily 

Dambulla Royal Cave Temple and Golden Temple 

Address: Kandy - Jaffna Hwy, Dambulla, Sri Lanka 

Opening hours: 7am to 7pm, daily  

Admission fee: LKR 1500 per person 

Dresscode: Shoulder and knees covered 

Shoekeeping fee: LKR 25 per person 

Tuk tuk from Sigiriya to Sigiriya Village: 5 mins, LKR 100 (sharing by 3 persons) 

Tuk tuk from Sigiriya to Dambulla Cave Temple: 30 mins, LKR 1600 for half a day transport (sharing by 3 persons)  

Recommended time in Dambulla Cave Temple: 2-3 hours 

Highlights of Dambulla Cave Temple 

Cave No. 1 (Deva Raja Viharaya) 

The first cave is called Deva Raja Viharaya, meaning the temple of the King of Gods, as the god Sakka (King of Gods) gave the finishing touches to the principal image of this cave. This image, depicting the parinibbana (the last moment) of the Buddha in the typical style is about 47 feet in length. It is carved almost in the round from the natural rock to which it still remains joined all along from behind, and is well preserved.

The other five statues in the cave includes Arhat Ananda, the immediate disciple of Buddha, weeping at the death of his master, which stands at the southern end of the room, and Vishnu at the northern corner of the cave.

The wall and ceiling paintings in this cave can hardly be seen as a result of damage done by the incense burnt by devotees.

Cave No. 2 (Maha Raja Viharaya) 

The second cave is the largest and most impressive amongst the cave complexes here. The entrance is through a Iofty archway and is guarded on each side by figures of stone which represent Danitors. This cave is called Maha Raja Viltaraya, which means the temple of the Great King, as it is believed that King Vattagamani Abhaya personally assisted in its formation.

 

The interior of the cave is painted in bright colours and the paintings are still in good condition. The whole of the interior of this cave, whether rock or wall, is painted with bright colour, mainly yellow. The ceiling nearest the entrance is used mostly to depict the life of the Buddha, before and after his Enlightenment. The artists has also attempted to paint the earlier births of the Buddha.  

The front wall is 172 feet in length, 75 feet in breadth, and 21 feet in height. The height from this place gradually decreases in an arc towards the floor on the interior side. This cave contains 53 statues and the majority of them are of Buddha in different attitudes. Many of them are larger than life-size.  

Cave No. 3 (Maha Alut Viharaya) 

The third is named Maha Alut Viharaya, meaning The Great New Temple which is separated from the second cave by a wall of masonry. This cave is believed to have been used as a store room before the eighteenth century.

At the left of the entrance to this cave is a well-executed statue of this King Kirti Sri Rajasinha, in his robes of state, which resemble those worn by the Kings of the Nayakkar dynasty, who ruled the country until the British occupation in 1815.

 

The cave is about 90 feet long, 81 feet wide, and its shelving rock is about 36 feet tall. The immense surface of rock of this cave is also painted in colourful frescoes which depict various and numerous events of Buddhists, some representing the life of the Enlightened One as well as the history of Buddhism. The artistic tradition of this cave is that of the Kandyan period.

This cave contains 50 Buddha statues with the principal statue, facing the entrance, is a standing one under a torana. The images and the torana are carved out of the natural rock. 

One statue of Buddha in this cave in the recumbent posture, its head on a pillow, resting on its right hand, is quite similar to that in the first cave. This is about 30 feet long and well proportioned, the face is handsome, and its expression of countenance remarkably peaceful and benignant. Seven other statues of Buddha, in the standing attitude, are about 10 feet tall, and all the rest are life-size or a little smaller.

Cave No. 4 (Paschima Viharaya) 

The fourth cave is called the Paschima Viharaya or the Western Temple. It is about 54 feet long and 27 wide, and its shelving roof is about 27 feet high.

There are 10 Buddha statues in the cave with its principal image under a torana, and is of the same size as the other statues. This is a very beautiful figure of the Buddha seated in the dhyana mudra (posture of meditation) hewn of the natural rock that forms the cave itself. The image is in a fine state of preservation and the features of the image are clearly discernible.

The other images are in a row starting from the right and the left of the principal image. These figures are well executed and brilliantly painted, and most of them are as large as or larger than life-size. There is a neat stupa (cetiya) called Soma Cetiya at the middle of the cave. The roof and sides of the rock and the front wall are painted of the brightest colours, and decorated with a number of figures, mainly of Buddha. 

Cave No. 5 (the last in order) 

Although there are five cave, the last one is often not named and there is little to no information about the cave on many sources online. It also has no historical value as it was done in the second decade of this century.

Bonus: The Golden Temple 

At the bottom of the hill is The Golden Temple which is located close to the main road. There is a huge Buddha and a museum which you can check out. We didn’t enter the temple as we were afraid we would miss buses to Kandy. After looking at the exterior of the temple, we hiked back towards to the Cave Temples, then down towards the car park to look for our tuk tuk driver.  

As the Golden Temple is just along the main road, you may also get your tuk tuk driver to wait for you there without having to hike back to the Cave Temple. As in our case, since it was not communicated, our driver were waiting for us at the car park, hence we had to go back from where we came. Luckily the hike wasn’t strenuous at all.  

Getting out of Dambulla 

If you are doing your Sri Lanka trip in a clockwise direction like I did, the next destination from Dambulla would be Kandy. From Dambulla main bus station, there are plenty of buses headed towards Kandy since Kandy is one of the main big cities in Sri Lanka, however buses after 6pm is rather rare. If you are not sure what buses to get, just ask around the friendly local Sri Lankan and they are generally very helpful into guiding you to the correct buses.   

Dambulla Main Bus Station

Address: Kandy - Jaffna Hwy, Dambulla, Sri Lanka 

Tuk tuk from Dambulla Cave Temple to Dambulla Main Bus Station: 20 mins, price inclusive in the half day transport of LKR 1500 (sharing by 3 persons) 

Bus from Dambulla Kandy: 2 hours (bus bound for Kandy), LKR 100 per person  

Final Words 

With many exciting things to see in Sri Lanka, such as the Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, tea plantations, safaris, southern coastal beaches and the Temple of The Tooth in Kandy, Dambulla Cave Temple is easily a site which may be overlooked by travellers. However, this beautifully carved temple is a hidden wonder you should not miss. Don't miss out on this spectacularly beautiful ancient preservation, one of its kind in Sri Lanka, and perhaps in South Asia itself. It’s truly an impressive work of art and one of my best temple visit in Asia. 

For other places of attractions in Sri Lanka, read my travel guide with sample itinerary and cost breakdown ➢ 12 Days Sri Lanka In Less Than RM2.2K - Visa Application, Sample Itinerary & Cost Breakdown