Location: Dambulla

Dambulla cave temple

Also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla is a World Heritage Site in Sri Lanka (148 km East of Colombo).

It is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in the country. The rock towers 160 m over the surrounding plains and there are more than 80 documented caves. Major attractions are spread over 5 caves, which contain statues ( 153 Buddha statues, 3 statues of Sri Lankan kings and 4 statues of gods and goddesses ) and paintings which are related to Lord Buddha and his life.

Prehistoric Sri-Lankans would have lived in these cave complexes before the arrival of Buddhism in Sri-Lanka as there are burial sites with human skeletons about 2700 years old in this area, at Ibbankatuwa near the Dambulla cave complexes.