Dambulla

An earliest Buddhist shrine and a vintage art gallery Dambulla cave temple is some of the iconic destinations that should be eye-witness due to their historical, architectural, artistic, painting, iconography, and breathtaking natural sceneries. The site located two kilometers south of the present Dambulla to the city center and 20 kilometers away from the popular Sigiriya rock fortress site. Eventually, this magnificent manmade creature’s history is being run to 1 century BC where UNESCO declares it as a world heritage site in 1991. The original massive cave was classified into 05 different caves by brick walls and comprising hundreds of statues and thousand of wall paintings thus given magnificent look to the temple. The Buddha images and paintings contained in the caves today belong to the Kandyan period which is 17th and 18th centuries. The premises have two different entrances where one is via the modern golden temple where often locals are attending pilgrimages. The other entrance is via the old monastery complex together with the foreigners’ ticket counter established. Also, this path is called the “kings path” due to ancient kings were used to attend this path to reach the summit of the cave temple. The path is continued with a granite old staircase up to the summit and in between, you will be amazed at the breathtaking mountain views surrounding with full of greenly paddy fields and meadows. Also, probably you will be getting brilliant opportunity to take a close-up image of wild monkeys and their natural behaviors. On the way back, you can chill out by tasting king coconut water or tasting an organic watermelon drink at a local market. Not to miss the opportunity to witness the Dambulla vegetable market, the Sri Lankan largest vegetable market, and how the farmers trade their harvest to the whole sellers and the initial point of delivery across the country. There are plenty of hotels and accommodations available around Dambulla town. Many more optional activities are available, such as Minneriya safari for Elephant watching, village tours that can experience local bull cart ride and taste authentic Sri Lankan rice and curry lunch and ride on a tuk-tuk. Experience the traditional herbal and oil massage spa will help you relax after a busy day where you ensure a comfortable sleep at night and getting ready in fresh for the next day to obtain your next remarkable experience at this nature blessed country.