Dambulla Cave Temple (Sinhalese: දඹුල්ල රජමහා විහාරය) also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla is a World Heritage Site (1991) in Sri Lanka, situated in the central part of the country, 72 kilometres north of Kandy (මහ නුවර).
Dambulla Cave Temple dates back to the first century BCE, it has five caves under a vast overhanging rock, carved with a drip line to keep the interiors dry.
Inside the caves, the ceilings are painted with intricate patterns of religious images following the contours of the rock. There are images of the Lord Buddha and bodhisattvas, as well as various gods and goddesses.
Dambulla is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka; there are more than 80 documented caves in the surrounding area.
One of the cave houses the statue of King Kirti Sri Rajasinha (කීර්ති ශ්රී රාජසිංහ රජ; 1747–1782), the famous Buddhist revivalist.
The best time to visit Dambulla Cave Temple is early morning, it is much cooler and the lighting is better, since all cave mouths are facing to the East.
Dambulla Cave Temple towers 160 meters over the surrounding plains, you need to walk 200 steps to get there, wear a cap and a pair of good shoes.
