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Surathura Spice Garden S rI lANKAN $
(%222 2338; 3 thotagamuwa; buffet rs 450;
h11am-3.30pm) Around 4km north of Matale,
this is a pretty run-of-the-mill spice garden
but the lunchtime buffet is worth investigat-
ing with tasty vegetarian curries made from
breadfruit and jackfruit. Try a cardamom-
infused coffee afterwards.
oA&C Restaurant S rI lANKAN $$
(%367 4501; 3/5 Sir richard Aluvihara Mawatha;
mains rs 600-1100; h11am-3pm) For a step up in
class from your standard-issue rice and cur-
ry, this atmospheric place offers delicious Sri
Lankan meals that are varied and flavourful,
with lots of choice. It’s on the same turnoff as
the Matale Heritage Centre, but then take a
sharp left rather than the road to the centre.
8 Getting There & Away
Bus 593 runs from Kandy to Matale (normal/
intercity express rs 48/68, 1½ hours) every 10
minutes. Buses to Dambulla or Anuradhapura will
drop you at Aluvihara (rs 10) or the spice gar-
dens. there are six trains daily on the pretty spur
line between Matale and Kandy (1st/2nd/3rd
Class rs 25/50/100, 1½ hours).
Nalanda Gedige
Nalanda Gedige HINDU
(h7am-5pm) The venerable Nalanda Gedige
is built in the style of a South Indian Hindu
temple and enjoys a wonderfully peaceful
location next to a tank (artificial lake) with
prolific local birdlife.
The temple consists of an entrance hall
connected to a taller shikara (holy image
sanctuary), with a courtyard for circumambu-
lations. There is no sign of Hindu gods, how-
ever, and the temple is said to have been used
by Buddhists. It’s one of the earliest stone
buildings in Sri Lanka.
The temple’s richly decorated stone-block
walls, reassembled from ruins in 1975, are
thought to have been fashioned during the
8th to 11th centuries. The plinth bears some
Tantric carvings with sexual poses – the only
such sculptures in Sri Lanka – but before you
get excited, the carvings are weather-beaten
and it’s difficult to see much in the way of
action.
8 Getting There & Away
Nalanda Gedige is about 25km north of Matale
and 20km before Dambulla, 1km east of the main
road; look out for the sign near the Km 49 post.
Anuradhapura buses from Kandy or Matale will
drop you at the turnoff.Dambulla
%066 / POP 72,500
Dambulla’s famed Royal Rock Temple is an
iconic Sri Lankan image – you’ll be familiar
with its spectacular Buddha-filled interior
long before you arrive in town. Despite its
slightly commercial air, this remains an im-
portant holy place and should not be missed.
The town of Dambulla is of no interest,
cursed by heavy traffic heading for one of Sri
Lanka’s biggest wholesale markets. A night
here is tolerable, but consider visiting the site
as a day trip from the more relaxing environs
of Kandy or Sigiriya.1 Sights
oCave Temples BUDDHISt
(adult/child US$10/free; h7.30am-12.30pm &
1-6pm) F The beautiful Royal Rock Temple
complex sits about 160m above the road in
the southern part of Dambulla. Five separate
caves contain about 150 absolutely stunning
Buddha statues and paintings, some of Sri
Lanka’s most important and evocative reli-
gious art. Buddha images were first created
here over 2000 years ago, and over the cen-
turies subsequent kings added to and embel-
lished the cave art.
From the caves there are superb views over
the surrounding countryside; Sigiriya is clear-
ly visible some 20km distant.
Dambulla is thought to have been a place of
worship since 1st century BC, when King Val-
agamba (also known as Vattagamani Abhaya),
driven out of Anuradhapura, took refuge here.
When he regained his throne, he had the inte-
rior of the caves carved into magnificent rock
temples. Further paintings were made by lat-
er kings, including King Nissanka Malla, who
had the caves’ interiors gilded, earning the
place the name Ran Giri (Golden Rock).
This process of retouching original and
creating new artwork continued into the 20th
century. Remarkably, the overall impact is
breathtakingly coherent to the eye.
From the highway, Dambulla’s entrance
looks pretty grim – the Disneyesque concrete
Buddha, monstrous Golden Temple and vast
car park are distinctly off-putting. But things
improve markedly as you climb the hillside,
leaving the commercialism behind, and as-
cend a vast, sloping rock face that leads to the
caves.