Dambulla

Dambulla
	Dambulla
	Dambulla
State :	Sri Lanka
Province :	Central Province
District :	Matale
Surface:	45.53 km²
Residents:	72,000 (2012)

Entrance to the cave temples

Golden Temple

Dambulla ( Sinhala : දඹුල්ල, Tamil : தம்புள்ளை) is a city in the Matale (district) in the central province of Sri Lanka , 148 km northeast of Colombo and 72 km north of Kandy . It has about 72,000 inhabitants (2012).

Dambulla is famous for its Buddhist cave temples , for the largest rose quartz deposit in South Asia and for Namal Uyana (ironwood forest). In addition, Dambulla is the starting point for many tourists to the fortress of Sigiriya .

history

The area was founded in the 3rd century BC. Settled . Statues and paintings date back to the 1st century BC. BC back. The works of art were renewed in the 11th, 12th and 18th centuries.

The caves once served King Valagamba ( Vattagamini Abhaya ) as the escape point of his 14 year exile from Anuradhapura when the city was occupied by the Indians. The monks of Dambulla protected him from his adversaries. When Valagamba was able to return to his throne, he built a large temple in thanks for the help.

Cave temple

Surroundings of Dambulla

There are around 80 cave temples in Dambulla, five of which are large. With an area of 2100 m², this is the largest temple complex in the country. There are historical paintings and statues in many temples. There are a total of 153 statues of Buddha , three statues of kings and four statues of gods. The latter are two Hindu gods ( Vishnu and Ganesh ) that originated in the 12th century. The paintings describe the life of Buddha, including Buddha's temptation by the demon Mara and Buddha's first sermon.

The temple complex has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991 under the name "Golden Temple of Dambulla" .

Web links

Commons : Dambulla - collection of images, videos and audio files

Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
Photo report

Wikivoyage: Dambulla - travel guide