After a late night arrival in Colombo, we woke up early the next day to begin our 4 hour journey to Dambulla. Dambulla is located smack-dab in the middle of Sri Lanka, just above Kandy, and is well known for its rich history. Our first sightseeing stop here was the Golden Temple of Dambulla and the Dambulla Cave Temple, the largest and best-preserved caves in the country. This UNESCO World Heritage Site has five caves located inside the temple that you can walk into. Each cave houses Buddha’s of all sizes, various images throughout, and statues of Sri Lankan kings and gods/goddesses.
What to expect before visiting
The entrance fee for foreigners is 1500LKR (Sri Lankan rupees), which is around HK$65/CAD$12. Be warned that there are a decent amount of stairs you will need to climb up before you reach the summit where the temple and caves are. While I didn’t find it difficult at all, I would imagine on a very hot and sunny day it would be relatively tiring. As you make your way up the stairs, you’ll come across a few cheeky monkeys hanging out. They were friendly, as far as wild monkey standards go, but just remember to keep your distance.
What to see at the Dambulla Cave & Golden Temple of Dambulla
The caves were all quite similar: different sized buddhas throughout, murals covering the walls, spots where locals were praying, and a few other significant artifacts and statues. Although I did find them interesting, after living in and travelling throughout Asia for the past eight years, I’ve definitely seen my fair share of Buddhas so this wasn’t anything new.
After we were done wandering throughout the temple, we decided to walk along a different path that took us to the Golden Temple. It was about a 15-20 minute walk and we stopped for some freshly sliced mango along the way. Once we made it to the bottom, we realised we would have to retrace our steps and head all the way back up to the cave temples in order to get back to our driver.
Would I recommend the Dambulla cave and temple? I’d say it’s worth it if you’re a big history buff and haven’t done much travel throughout Asia (aka haven’t seen hundreds of other buddhas already). Otherwise, you’re probably safe to leave this one out.
