Boston Experience: Dambulla, Sri Lanka

The city of Dambulla lies approximately 148 kilometers (roughly 91 miles) to the Northeast of the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo.

Dambulla is close to many interesting sites and Golden Temple of Dambulla is definitely a must see. Dambulla is also surrounded with many mountains and beautiful Greenery which makes getting around pleasant to look out.

Kandalama lake is also a spectacular sight to behold.

Getting to Dambulla:
Since Dambulla is relatively close to Colombo, Sri Lanka, you are best advised to hire a private car in Colombo for safe travel to Dambulla. There are ample drivers available for hire in Colombo and most are very knowledgeable of the cultural sites and local history of Sri Lanka, making for an informative, guided tour on the road from Colombo to Dambulla.

I would advice getting a driver because the roads are unmarked and the Hotels are not even properly located on Google Maps. There is no street numbers which makes Navigation hard. Self drive is almost impossible unless you are local.

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Though it is about 150km, the trip can take 5 hours as the roads from Colombo are small and slow. Traffic can be heavy at times on Kandy road and together with 1 or 2 breaks, getting to Dambulla in 5 hours is common.

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When you arrive at Dambulla, there are a few world class hotels to stay at. Heritance Kandalama Hotel Dambulla offers offers its guests great luxury. The hotel is conveniently located between Dambulla Cave Temple and the Sigiriya rock fortress and offers upscale, air-conditioned rooms with private balconies with spectacular views of forests or the lake. The hotel is a definite must visit as it is situated at the Kandalama Lake and offers breathtaking sights.

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Places of Interest

Kandalama Lake

Surrounded my mountains, Kandalama Lake is a wildlife refuge and the views around the lake and the Island in the middle is spectacular.

The sky and the lake is in such a great harmony that you feel a lot more relaxed in the area compared to Colombo, the experience is great and is hard to forget.

The views around the lake and the occasional wildlife grazing lazily on the side makes it a perfect place to take a break and take some photos.

Don't let the mountains in the picture fool you. Kandalama is just about 200m above sea level so, it is not a cold place at all, but the close proximity to the large body of water constantly keeps the vicinity of Kandalama Lake nice and cooling.

Across the lake is Heritance Kandalama, it looks part of the landscape from far.

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Golden Temple of Dambulla

Also known as Dambulla Cave Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, this temple is a great place to visit. Comprised of 5 caves and a picturesque facade carved into the side of a steep rock face, the Dambulla Cave Temple houses ancient statues and paintings depicting the Buddha and his life.

Don't be fooled by the clean and nice appearance of the Temple. There is an ancient cave temple up in the mountain. It will take some time and effort to get there, so be prepared. Drink lots of water, leave early in the morning and climb it. It will be worth it. The tickets for tourist is Rs$1750, but it is definitely worth the money!

The front entrance is a recent addition and the real views are on top of the mountain. Save your photos until you get up there. The trip up hill is pleasant and cooling as the trail is shaded and has plenty of monkeys and friendly dogs. The trip is also very scenic and nice. REMEMBER: Buy your tickets before going up, tickets are available near the entrance and they only check for tickets on top of the rock!

Remember, there is lots of stairs, take your time and climb it slowly.

And Stairs...

When you get to the top, there are still steps!

The views from on top is spectacular. Remember your ticket, you need tickets to get in and if you have not got one, you need to make your way down again!

Take a short break, relax for a bit. Take off your shoes and enter the temple above.

The temple consists of 5 caves with nicely painted walls and lots of statues. Built at the base of a 150 meter rock face during a long period stretching from the first century B.C. to 1250 A.D, the Dambulla Cave Temple is comprised of five distinct caves, each of which functions as a shrine room. While all five of the Dambulla Cave Temple caves are worth exploring, these three stand out:

Cave of the Divine King: the first of the Dambulla Caves, the Cave of the Divine King is home to a 14 meter tall Buddha statue carved out rock.
Cave of the Great Kings: the second of the Dambulla Caves, the Cave of the Great Kings contains 56 statues of the Buddha
Great New Monastery: the third of the Dambulla Caves, the Great New Monastery contains 50 statues of the Buddha and a statue of King Kirti Sri Rajasinha. During the King's rule from 1747-1782, the ceiling and walls Great New Monastery were painted in the traditional Kandy style of the times.

There are lots of things to see, and remember to take your camera!

For something that ancient, you cannot get them elsewhere in the world!

This is the world famous reclining Buddha. Its pretty big, but not the biggest I've seen.

The construction and modern maintenance of the Dambulla Cave Temple occurred along the following rough time-line:

7th to 3rd century BC: Early inhabitants
1st century BC: Paintings and statues
5th century AD: The stupa was built
12th century AD: Addition of the statues of Hindu gods
18th century AD: Most of what we see today
19th century AD: An additional cave and some repainting
20th century AD:UNESCO restoration and lighting