Dambulla, Sri Lanka - 2010
Dambulu-gala (the rocks of Dambulla) is an immense isolated rock outcrop that is over 600ft in height. Inside the rock is a complex of caves which houses the historic rock temple of Dambulla which is one of the oldest Buddhist Shrines in Sri Lanka. Dambulla is referred to in the Jambukola Vihara in the Mahavamsa, which the principle chronicle of Sri Lankan history. The five caves inside Dambullah have been converted into shrine rooms within which are one hundred and fifty statues of Buddah and several more deities and Sri Lankan historical and religious personalities. The walls of the caves are are covered in paintings representative of many epochs of Sinhala art, the oldest characters of script being from the 3rd century BC to the 2nd Century AD. Dambulla is about 12 km from Sigriya and is part of the Sri Lanka's UNESCO declared Cultural Triangle. [Text by Charlotte Rodgers]
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