Dambulla and the Golden Rock Temple, Sri Lanka

The city of Dambulla is situated in the Central Province of Sri Lanka, situated 148 km north-east of Colombo and 72 km north of Kandy. Dambulla is famous for the largest and best preserved cave temple complex of Sri Lanka. It is also home to the Rangiri Dambulla International (Cricket) Stadium, and the nearby area contains the largest rose quartz mountain range in South Asia, and the Iron wood forest, or Namal Uyana.

Dambulla cave temple is the largest and best preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock towers 160 m over the surrounding plains. Major attractions are spread over 5 caves, which contain statues and paintings. This paintings and statues are related to Lord Buddha and his life. There are a total of 153 Buddha statues, 3 statues of Sri Lankan kings and 4 statues of god and goddess. The latter 4 include two statues of Hindu gods, Vishnu and Ganesh. The murals cover an area of 2,100 m². Depictions in the walls of the caves include Buddha's temptation by demon Mara and Buddha's first sermon.

Buddhist Museum at Dambulla's Golden Rock Temple Misty Sunrise on Amaya Lake, Dambulla Sri Lanka by Sam's Exotic Travel Photos Bell Tower, Dambulla's Golden Rock Temple

Time line of the Caves:

7th to 3rd century BC: Early inhabitants
1st century BC: Paintings and statues
5th century AD: The stupa was built
12th century AD: Addition of the statues of Hindu gods
18th century AD: Most of what we see today
19th century AD: An additional cave and some repainting
20th century AD: UNESCO restoration and lighting.

www.wikipedia.org

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