Dambulla

In Sri Lanka, southern from Sigiriya, in the town of Dambulla at the top of the mountain (350 meters above sea level) is a Buddhist cave temple, which consists of five caves.

Here you can find the largest collection of Buddha statues, many of which are already over 2,000 years. Looking visitors can not help but dwell on the frescoes adorning the walls and ceiling – it’s a real treasure of the temple wall paintings. On the left side on the ceiling displayed the main points of Buddha’s life: his birth, renunciation of royal life, enlightenment, seven weeks after enlightenment, first sermon read, care in the bliss of Nirvana…

Remains of plaster with traces of paint on the outside of caves indicate that the temple was a solid gallery of paintings. The temple dates back a century. BC, but completed and rebuilt in the XII and XVIII centuries. In the XII century. the church was restored during the reign of King Nissankamally and 73 statues of Buddha covered with gold.

After this, the temple became known as “The Golden Cave Temple”. In the XVIII century. restoration of the dynasty of artists painting engaged, living in the vicinity of Dambulla. A descendant of the dynasty continues the family tradition of using old tools and recipes for plaster and natural dyes. The temple is under UNESCO protection