Golden Temple Dambulla

Sri Lanka has many historical cave temples. The one at Dambulla is the most important of all the temples in the island. One fact to remember is that the origins of all cave temples are connected to King Walagamba who seems to have been much more interested in exploration rather than in ruling the land. Dambulla is located 148kms away from the capital of Colombo and lies on the Kandy-Dambulla road. The complex consists of five different sanctuaries and a large number of Buddha statues and Buddhist mural paintings are found inside the cave. This makes it one of the most important Buddhist temples of the world. From the summit of the rock, the view is fabulous and the ancient citadel of Sigiriya is clearly visible in the distance.

The five separate caves in the complex contain about 150 Buddha images. The largest cave is 50mtrs long and 6mtrs high. Though the temple was first constructed by King Walagamba around the 1st century B.C.it was King Nissankamala who had the interior of the temple gilded in gold - thus giving it the name Golden Rock Temple. Some of the best accommodation in the island is available in the vicinity as it is a tourist hub in the island with Sigiriya and the 2 ruined cities Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa spread out close by. One road connects you with Trincomalee, the famous beach resort. It's an important destination in any domestic or foreign travel itinerary. It's also an ideal launch-out point from which one can spread out to so many points in the islands cultural triangle.