The Dambulla Rock Cave Temple is one of Sri Lanka’s 8 UNESCO World Heritage sites. In the heart of the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka, the caves are located conveniently between Kandy and the Siguriya Rock Fortress. At the base of the Dambulla Rock sits the World’s Largest Budha statue (golden), then you climb up a flight of stairs for about 10 minutes until you reach the entrance to the caves. Inside there are 5 caverns, the large cavern being the most spectacular with it’s painted ceilings, but all of them are pretty cool. The first cave has a big laying Buddha statue which was one of my favorites of the entire temple.
As you approach the Dambulla Cave Temple at the top of a 350 foot rock, you pass through an alley way of monkeys. They’re not friendly monkeys necessarily, but they’re used to tourists. At the top of the rock near the temple they have a fence to keep the monkeys out, but some still sneak over. Across the fence there are a lot of curious monkeys which can make for some good photos and videos. Views from the Dambulla Caves are also good; once you’re up the rock there are no other large buildings or mountains around it, so the views of the surrounding plains are nice.
The Cultural Triangle ticket which gets you admission to several other sites in the center of Sri Lanka is not valid in Dambulla, however it is valid for the Dambulla Cave Temple Museum just outside the temple area. If you have time you can take a stroll through it, but if not, don’t worry about missing the museum. It’s basically just a bunch of photos of Dambulla and the surrounding areas. You gain a bit of insight into Sri Lanka’s history and how it’s modern day tourist attractions came to be what they are, but nothing a quick wikipedia search can’t provide. As for the Dambulla Cave Temple entrance fee, it’s Rs. 1200 for adult foreigners, about $10 or $11 USD.
Bottom line, if you’re planning a trip to Sri Lanka, try to make it to the Dambulla Cave Temple, especially if you’ll be passing through the Cultural Triangle.
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