Sri Lanka - Dambulla Rock Temple
The Cave Temple complex at Dambulla is a UNESCO World Heritage site, that has been used for meditation dating back to the 1st century BC.
This complex claims to be the most impressive cave temple in Sri Lanka and Kingsley and I have to agree. It has five caves under a vast overhanging rock, carved with a drip line to keep the interiors dry. Inside the caves, the ceilings are painted with intricate patterns of religious images (mostly of Buddha) following the contours of the rock.
Within these shrine rooms is housed a collection of one hundred and fifty statues of the Buddha. One cave has over 1,500 paintings of Buddha covering the ceiling.
A bit of history:
The Dambulla cave monastery is still functional and remains the best-preserved ancient edifice in Sri Lanka. King Walagambahu is traditionally thought to have converted the caves into a temple in the 1st century BC. Exiled from Anuradhapura, he sought refuge here from South Indian usurpers for 15 years. After reclaiming his capital, the King built a temple in thankful worship. Many other kings added to it later and by the 11th century, the caves had become a major religious centre and still are. King Nissanka Malla gilded the caves and added about 70 Buddha statues in 1190. During the 18th century, the caves were restored and painted by the Kandyan Kings.
A bit of history:
The Dambulla cave monastery is still functional and remains the best-preserved ancient edifice in Sri Lanka. King Walagambahu is traditionally thought to have converted the caves into a temple in the 1st century BC. Exiled from Anuradhapura, he sought refuge here from South Indian usurpers for 15 years. After reclaiming his capital, the King built a temple in thankful worship. Many other kings added to it later and by the 11th century, the caves had become a major religious centre and still are. King Nissanka Malla gilded the caves and added about 70 Buddha statues in 1190. During the 18th century, the caves were restored and painted by the Kandyan Kings.
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Sri Lanka,
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