📷 Lankapic · CC BY 2.5

Where in the world

Sri Lanka

Dambulla cave temple

Sinhalese · Sri Lanka

Field notes

civilizations: Sinhalese
types: Temple
occupied: 100 BCE — 1,200 CE
country: Sri Lanka

The site

The Dambulla cave temple, also called the Golden Temple of Dambulla, is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka, built by Sinhalese kings and used from roughly 100 BCE to 1200 CE. Five major caves beneath a rock towering 160 metres over the plains hold 153 Buddha statues and murals covering some 2,100 square metres. The paintings depict Gautama Buddha's life, including his temptation by Mara and his first sermon.

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