Dambulla is today a UNESCO World Heritage site. This fascinating site is gracefully blended on a gigantic granite outcrop which towers more than 160m above the surrounding land. The rock is more than 1.5km around its base and the summit is at 550m. The caves were the refuge of King Valagambahu (Vattagamini Abhaya) when he was in exile for 14 years. When he returned to the throne at Anuradhapura in the first century BC, he had a magnificent rock temple built at Dambulla. The site has been repaired and repainted several times in the 11th, 12th and 18th centuries. In 2001, the temple authorities completed work on an enormous gold Buddha, said to be the largest in the world, which greets you from the car park.

The caves have a mixture of religious and secular painting and sculpture. There are several reclining Buddhas, including the 15meter long sculpture of the dying Buddha in cave 1. The frescoes show scenes from the Buddha’s life and Sinhalese history. Cave 2 is the largest and most impressive, containing more than 150 statues, illustrating the Mahayana influences on Buddhism at the time through introducing Hindu deities such as Vishnu and Ganesh.