Dambulla, Sri Lanka
Dambulla, Sri Lanka is just under 150km from Colombo
and just over 70km north of Kandy
in the Central Province of Sri Lanka
 Like the northern rock fortress of Sigiriya, Dambulla is a huge isolated rock mass rising around 160m over the surrounding plains, with an ancient rock temple that has been created spread over five mostly natural caves. Some of the wall paintings date back over 2,000 years. The most outstanding feature of the Golden Temple of Dambulla is the immense reclining Buddha image carved out of the solid rock, around 14m in length.
The town itself is thought to have been continuously inhabited from as early as the 3rd century BC! The time line of the Temple of Dambulla caves, deduced from archeological finds and records: 3rd century BC: earliest peasant inhabitants; 1st century BC: some paintings and statues; 5th century AD: the first stupa was built; 12th century AD: addition of many of the statues of Hindu gods, particularly Vishnu and Ganesh; 18th century AD: most of what we see today had been completed; 19th century AD: an additional cave was added with some remodeling and repainting; 20th century AD: Dambulla development of tourism and UNESCO recognition as a World Heritage Site, some restoration and electric lighting added.
 Also well known locally is agricultural produce market; Dambulla Market, selling the finest fruit and vegetables wholesale as well as retail. The town is also home to Dambulla International Stadium.
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