Dambulla Cave Temple – 2nd World Heritage Site in a Day
I was a bit lost as I maybe took a wrong turn after reaching the entrance to the Sigiriya Rock. So, I thought to take the Tuk Tuk to ride me till the foreigner entrance from where I took the bus towards Dambulla Town. I was hungry, so before hopping on the bus, I went to the nearby resort to grab some meal. Got a decent priced buffet which I finished as soon as I can so that I can reach the Cave Temple before it closes. I got a bus, immediately after I returned to the spot where some more people were standing to grab one for themselves.
The Dambulla Town is crowded and after reaching there I took another Tuk Tuk towards the Cave Temple. You would get a bus if you inquire around, but I wanted to save some time and reach the temple so took a Tuk Tuk towards it.
The Dambulla Cave Temple
The Dambulla Cave Temple is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It felt awesome to visit two World Heritage Sites in just one day. There are two entrances to the Cave Temple, One from where you get the tickets and the other which has the huge Golden Buddha Statue. People prefer the Golden Statue side which they say to be easier to climb to. But after taking my tickets, of 1500 Sri Lanka rupees I thought to just take the route from the ticket counter.
Not a long hike to the top, but the stairs had the same feel like Pidurangala Rock. Covered with trees and boulders as you walk to reach the temple. After reaching the top, you are required to deposit your shoes, managed by the temple committee for a small fee. The caves have more than 150 images of Buddha, some images of Hindu Gods and Goddesses and some royal images.
As the caves are naturally built they are not all of the same sizes. So the images are placed accordingly for you to take around walk from one end and exit from the other. Out of 80 caves, only 5 are accessible to tourists which have all the images of Buddha. After spending some time there, and clicking some pictures for the tourists. I headed down as I had to catch the bus towards Kandy. Which will take around 2 hours.
Golden Buddha Temple On My Way From Dambulla Cave Temple
But wait the day has not ended yet, after exiting the temple. I saw a huge Buddha Statue, which too I didn’t know about like the Pidurangala Rock. Double bonus in a day, nothing much about the place. The statue of Dharma Chakra Mudra posture started in 1998 and was completed in 2001. Located on top of a 3 story building that houses the museum and ticket counter of the Dambulla Cave Temple. The statue can be seen from a distance.
If you go to the top of the complex, you will see many people offering their prayers. And kids playing around, I took a walk around the place and next was my stop towards the Dambulla Bus Stop. For my bus towards Kandy, and that’s all for the day. I went to a new place in Sri Lanka the other day so to know about it read my next article coming soon.
