Dambulla

Dambulla is situated at a distance of 148 Km from the city of Colombo. There are more than 80 rock caves around Dambulla. This cave temple complex is one of the important tourist attractions of Dambulla city. The Iron Wood forest also known as the Namal Uyana and the Rose Quartz mountain range are other attractions of Dambulla. The Rose Quartz Mountain is believed to have formed about 500 million years ago. Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium is another attraction of Dambulla. It is cricket stadium comprising 30,000 seats and it was built within only 167 days.
UNESCO identified Dambulla as one of the Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka. It is also considered as an important historical site as its art and culture reflect amalgamation of different ages. The surrounding rock caves were centers of meditation for monks. Five out of the many rock caves situated in Dambulla, are places of interests for tourists.
Rock statues and paintings are found in these caves. These rock paintings started from the time of King Valagamba and over the years under different rulers, the paintings and sculptures underwent different changes. These caves also comprise statues from 12th century AD that reflect influence of Hinduism. Some of the latest paintings of these rock caves are from 18th century.

Dambulla Map