The Ancien

T

(^) c
iT
ies
The Ancien

T

(^) c
iT
ies
S
IG
H
t
S
The Ancien

T

(^) c
iT
ies
D
AM
BU
ll
A
̈ Cave I (Devaraja Viharaya)
The first cave, the Temple of the King of the
Gods, has a 15m-long reclining Buddha. Anan-
da, the Buddha’s loyal disciple, and other seat-
ed Buddhas are depicted nearby. A statue of
Vishnu is held in a small shrine within the
cave, but it’s usually closed.
̈ Cave II (Maharaja Viharaya)
The Temple of the Great King is arguably the
most spectacular of the caves. It measures
52m from east to west and 23m from the
entrance to the back wall; the highest point
of the ceiling is 7m. This cave is named after
the two statues of kings it contains. There
is a painted wooden statue of Valagamba
on the left as you enter, and another statue
further inside of Nissanka Malla. The cave’s
main Buddha statue, which appears to have
once been covered in gold leaf, is situated
under a makara torana (archway decorated
with dragons), with the right hand raised in
abhaya mudra (pose conveying protection).
Hindu deities are also represented. The vessel
inside the cave collects water that constantly
drips from the ceiling of the temple – even
during droughts – which is used for sacred
rituals.
̈ Cave III (Maha Alut Viharaya)
This cave, the New Great Temple, was said to
have been converted from a storeroom in the
18th century by King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe of
Kandy, one of the last Kandyan monarchs. It
is also filled with Buddha statues, including a
beautiful reclining Buddha, and is separated
from Cave II by only a masonry wall.
̈ Cave IV (Pachima Viharaya)
The relatively small Western Cave is not the
most westerly cave – that position belongs to
Cave V. The central Buddha figure is seated
under a makara torana, with its hands in
dhyana mudra (a meditative pose in which
the hands are cupped). The small dagoba in
the centre was broken into by thieves who be-
lieved that it contained jewellery belonging to
Queen Somawathie.
̈ Cave V (Devana Alut Viharaya)
This newer cave was once used as a store-
house, but it’s now called the Second New
Temple. It features a reclining Buddha; Hindu
deities, including Kataragama (Murugan) and
Vishnu, are also present.
Golden Temple BUDDHISt tEMPlE
(www.goldentemple.lk) F At the foot of the
cave temples hill stands the modern Golden
Temple, a kitschy structure completed in
2000 using Japanese donations. On top of the
cube-shaped building sits a Buddha image in
77
77 7
77
7
7
77
77
#.
#á

ÿ
ÿ
ÿ
ÿ
#æ
#â

#ú

›
›

ÚÚ
Ú
Matale Rd
Kandy Rd
Anuradhapura
Rd
Bus
Terminal
Buses to Sigiriya,
Trincomalee,
Anuradhapura &
Polonnaruwa
Clock
Tower
Cave
Temples
1 10
4
9
2
5
6
8
7
3
4
3
1
2
4
3
1
2
A B
A B

Dambulla e#^0200 .1 mile00 ms

D

Habarana (21km)

D

Kalundewa

Retreat (7km);

Amaya Lake (10km);

Heritance Kandalama

Hotel (10km)

DNalaGedigenda

(20km)

Dambulla

æ Top Sights

1 Cave Temples........................................A 4

æ Sights

2 Dambulla Museum...............................B 4

3 Dambulla Produce Market...................B3

4 Golden Temple ......................................B4

ÿ Sleeping

5 Dambulla Heritage Resthouse............B3

6 Healey Tourist Inn.................................B 3

7 Nature Tourist Inn................................B 4

8 Sundaras................................................B4

ú Eating

9 Bentota Restaurant..............................B1

Dambulla Heritage Resthouse

Cafe..............................................(see 5)

ï Information

10 Cave Temples Ticket Office................B4