The Dambulla Royal Cave Temple - A Day of Murals, Monkeys and Majesty
If you’re in Sri Lanka’s Central region, you will almost certainly encounter the town of Dambulla. Located close to the Lion’s Rock of Sigiriya, Dambulla has a large bus station with routes serving Colombo, Kandy, Poḷonnaruwa and far beyond. Dambulla is the most obvious travel hub for those looking to access Sigiriya, however, the Lion’s Rock isn’t the only treasure this region holds.
The Royal Cave Temple of Dambulla is an incredible, beautiful, ancient holy site and one not to be skipped when exploring Sri Lanka’s heartlands.
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Where is the Dambulla Royal Cave Temple
The Dambulla Caves lie on top of the rock formation in the heart of the town, about a twenty to twenty five minute walk from the Dambulla central bus station. As we have mentioned, Dambulla is a natural hub for busses from Kandy, Colombo and further afield. If you are heading to Sigiriya, you are probably going through Dambulla.
To book buses around Sri Lanka in advance check out 12go who can book you transport around the Island.
You can also organise a trip to Dambulla from Kandy and it will frequently be put into itinerary’s including the nearby national parks or Sigiriya.
for a combined tour check out Get Your Guide who offer lots of different guided tours in the area
What are the Dambulla Cave Temples?
The Dambulla Royal Cave Temple sits on top of a huge rock formation that dominates the town's skyline. This UNESCO world heritage site, has been a sacred site and place of worship for over 2000 years. The main temple grounds (the one with the entrance fee!) is actually part of a larger collection of cave temples in the area, with over 80 caves currently known.
Visiting the Royal Cave Temples.
The main site, or at least the one open for tourism, is accessed via a ticket booth at the bottom of the rock formation
Entrance tickets to the Royal Dambulla Caves cost 2000 LKR each (£4.84 or $5.48).
When you enter an impressively vertical staircase leads you up to the temple. Unaware of the climb that awaited us, we had both decided to wear our newest and least broken in footwear. So it was with flip flops flapping and sandals slipping we began our ascent of the staircase.
The climb up was fantastic, the sweeping views gradually revealing themselves through the trees, whilst troops of macaques swung and crashed through the branches all around. We did however, have to point out to another traveller that it was a staggeringly bad idea to attempt to pet the monkeys!
Do not pet the monkeys!
As you near the top, the ever present sellers of tourist tat increase in number and pressure. Their attempts to sell two sweaty backpackers a large and ornate wooden puzzle box were, predictably, unsuccessful. You do wonder who decides, part way up a mountain, that what they really need in their life is a heavy wooden box to lug around on their onward travels?
As you arrive on top of the rock, shoes need to be removed and stored with an attendant. This attendant will definitely ask you for an ‘optional’ tip when you come to reclaim your footwear. We gave him 100 LKR (24p or $0.27) which seemed to satisfy him.
Shoes stowed, we made our way left towards the temple entrance. As you get to the entrance counter, the temple attendants will check your ticket and check you are appropriately dressed before allowing you into the temple grounds. Appropriate dress is that which covers shoulders and knees for both genders. Don’t be those embarrassing instagrammers in a string bikinis wondering why they are being asked to cover up in front of the Buddha!
Once inside, we were greeted by a large courtyard. On one side lies the cliff’s edge with an elegantly decorated Bodhi tree and shrine, on the other, the face of the rock and the cave temples themselves.
Before entering the first cave, there is an incredible carved stone. The Kirti Nissankamalla engraving dates from the 12th century and gives details of the services rendered by the then King Nissankamalla to Buddhism. The stone is crowded with the ornate and beautiful script of ancient Sinhalese. To a foreigner ,with no knowledge of Sinhalese ancient or modern, it was still an exquisite thing to see, you don’t always have to understand things to appreciate their beauty (although the informative translation next to the stone does help if you want to know more).
After admiring the ancient inscription, we made our way into the caves themselves. Spread over five caves, the Royal Cave Temples are truly an amazing site. Walls and ceilings were crowded in every kind of Buddhist artistry. Repeating patterns, stories from the Buddha’s life and huge images of his likeness stare out at you from every surface. Golden statues of the Buddha clad in orange robes line the walls and the uneven ceilings are painted in a whirlwind of colour.
The first of the caves houses a large reclining Buddha, his feet decorated with blossoming whirls of reds and gold. His large frame, with head resting on a pillow, barely fitting into the carved out rock.
In the dim glow of the lamps, the rough stone and low light of the caves made the colours all the more vibrant. In front of many of the Buddha’s lay wreaths, fresh cut flowers and other offerings from devoted pilgrims reminding us that this wasn’t just an ancient site of worship but a current one too.
Some of the caves were so large that they housed entire stupas within themselves. Wrapped in orange, and under the colour strewn canopy of rock, it was like they had grown out of the stone. Decorated shrines with demons, Buddha’s, Naga’s and Bodhi trees sprouted out of the stonework with gorgeous illustrations painted across the rock ceilings.
In one of the final caves, was a series of statues of Buddha, each larger than the next. These seated Buddha’s mirrored each other in every way but their size, their serene expressions staring out at the visitor. The colour and the carving of these statues, and the obvious respect shown to them by the pilgrims, left a remarkable impression on us.
We’ve been to our fair share of churches, mosques and temples, but Dambulla really was special. There was a weight of history to the place, and its location, carved from the living rock high up on the mountain, really made it a special place. With that certain kind of quiet that settles over you, after being in an awe-inspiring place, we finished our exploration and made for the exit.
In total contrast to the serenity of the temple, as you exit, there is a small ledge (to the right and behind the entrance counter) that gives fantastic views, and judging by the queue of young tourists, makes for an excellent Instagram spot. Of course Ellie was above all of this… just kidding she got her shot too!
Heading back down we choose a different path to the one we used to climb to the temple as we were meeting our driver next to the giant ‘Golden Buddha’ statue.
The way down is steep and, if you are aiming to get to the Buddha, a little misleading! At the junction, don’t follow the lampposts, but go off to the left.
As we descended, the golden Buddha’s crown came into view, and we realised that the “giant” description was perfectly accurate.
The Golden Buddha sits on top of an elaborately designed building (think dragon scales, open mouths etc) and is part of a museum complex, but as our driver was waiting we made our way past to be picked up.
The Dambulla Royal Cave Temple complex was unlike any other Buddhist temple we’d seen. Forget any worries of being ‘templed out’, it is definitely worth your while. Neither me nor John are very spiritual/religious, however the temple was still an incredible place for us. The location of the temple built into the rock created a natural contrast of light and shadow. The dark caves are filled with light bounced off of the golden and orange artworks which gave the place an otherworldly air, even to us non-believers. The temples location, the devotion of the visiting pilgrims and of the course the amazing artwork really are a wonder.
Accommodation near the Royal Cave Temples of Dambulla.
Due to it’s transport options and central location Dambulla makes a good hub for many activities and sights in Sri Lanka. You are half and hours drive from both Habarana, with it’s many resorts and guesthouses, and Sigiriya town. You are also only around twenty minutes drive from the amazing Roy’s Villa Hostel, which you can read about here!
If you are looking to stay in Dambulla town itself check out our accommodation map below for your options.
Tips for visiting the Dambulla Cave Temples:
The Dambulla Royal Cave Temple is an active site for Buddhist worshippers so please dress appropriately before visiting. Shoulders and knees need to be covered and definitely no crop tops!
No flash photography is allowed in the caves as it risks harming the artwork.
The town of Dambulla in addition to being a good place to catch a bus from, looks very interesting itself. We wish we could have explored it more. Our driver (Roy - read more about him here) stopped off and showed us around the huge Dambulla wholesale fruit and vegetable market. This was an unexpected treat, and if you have the opportunity, it is well worth a visit. In addition to this, you can get some excellent samosas from the bakery/restaurants that surround the market.
Sprawling over several cavernous hangars, the Dambulla Wholesale market is a bustling, colourful hive of activity!
We mentioned that it was a steep descent from the temple to the giant Golden Buddha. This is no exaggeration, Ellie would recommend not wearing Teva sandals as she was constantly sliding forward (John’s flip flops however performed admirably)!
Ellie, shortly before she embarked on her Teva skiing adventure
Be weary of monkeys on your way up and down. These monkeys are used to tourists and as a consequence, have worked out your bag may contain tasty treats!
Do. Not. Pet… Regardless of how cute!
Thank you for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
*Prices correct at time of writing - September 2022
