Dambulla Cave Temple

The Dambulla Cave Temple, the most revered cave temple in Asia, dates back to the first century BC. Its five chambers are hidden behind a huge boulder that hangs over the temple. A drip line is cut on the underside of the Rock to keep the inside dry. The ceilings of the caverns are decorated with elaborate patterns of sacred symbols that have been painstakingly painted to follow the natural curves of the rock. Inside, there are pictures of the Buddha, bodhisattvas, gods, and goddesses. The cave monastery is still Sri Lanka’s best-preserved ancient building, dating to the second and third centuries BC. It is still a functioning shrine today, attracting tens of thousands of followers and inquisitive onlookers.

Five caverns have been creatively transformed into shrines at the site. The most inspirational of Sri Lanka’s many cave temples are those erected at the foot of a 150-meter-high rock between the first century BC to 993 AD and between 1073 and 1250. You can see the Sigiriya rock fortification rising out of the plains below as you stroll up the gradual slope of the towering Dambulla rock, which leads to the cave temple. You will undoubtedly think of Homer since a trip to Sri Lanka is the most pleasurable journey you can have in Asia.