Dambulla Cave Temple
Dambulla cave temple is located in the Matale District in the country of Sri Lanka. It’s situated approximately 45 miles north of the major Sri Lankan city of Kandy, and approximately 92 miles east of Colombo.
It’s presently unclear exactly how old the temple complex is, but it dates back to the first century BCE, and human skeleton remains have been discovered on site that are estimated to be approximately 2700 years old .
The Dambulla cave temple complex is open to visitors for guided tours from 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM daily, however the ticket counter closes at 5:00 PM daily. The caves take approximately one hour to explore altogether, and there is a dress code that requires that your shoulders and knees are covered, and any hats are to removed upon entrance.
There is an entrance fee for visitors of Rs. 1500, though the caves were free to visit until February of 2017.
The Dambulla cave temple is more commonly known to locals as the Golden Temple. The cave complex consists of five different caves, and the caves themselves are 110m in height. The climb to the entrance of the caves takes visitors approximately 10 minutes, and it’s recommended to take your time ascending as it can be a rather steep climb.
The caves once housed King Walagamba who was forced to flee an invasion from India. He lived amongst monks who used the caves as a place of meditation and serenity.
While the Dambulla cave temple complex is no doubt a busy attraction for tourists to Sri Lanka and they can get quite crowded at peak times, they remain a once in a live time visit for those to the area.
The fact that the caves take a mere hour on average to explore make them an outstanding site for parties of all shapes and sizes, and they don’t force you to commit an entire day to exploring them.
The Golden Temple is a highly recommended landmark to anyone curious at having a peak.
Author mw- Thomas Gendron
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