Dambulla cave temple
It is the largest and best preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock towers 160 m over the surrounding plains.There are more than 80 documented caves in the surrounding. 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 srilankan 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.
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
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