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Rajamaha Temple of Rangiri Dambulla ( Golden Rock Temple ) is situated north of Kandy and considered by most to be the centre point of Sri Lanka. Dambulla is a city built around a huge isolated rock mass and a World Heritage City , declared by UNESCO.
The name Dambulla obtained from Damba - Rock and Ulla - fountain. One sees the nonstop drip of water from the fountain within the main image house. This multifaceted cave's at Dambulla is one of the most remarkable Buddhist Temples in the world. It was here that King Vattagamini Abhaya (Valagamba) took refuge in the 1st century BCE. He later turned the caves into a rock temple. Later kings made further improvements, including King Nissanka Malla who had the temple interior gilded, earning it the name of Ran Giri - Golden Rock.
Dambulla Viharaya holds an abundance of precious material from the initial times till the late eighteenth century, and shows the growth of the Singhalese Buddhist art. Such huge material in one place, joint with a long history, is an unusual find anywhere. The temples enclose 153 Buddha images, 3 images of kings and 4 images of gods and goddesses. There are also 4 main monasteries and it was within this compound that the monks started the militant nationalist movement against the British in 1848. Dambulla Caves are 80 or more caves tell of the inhabitants dating back to the 3rd Century BCE. Five major caves hold the holy Buddhist shrines. The stupa was built in the 5th century AD and the caves enclose valuable paintings and countless Buddha sculptures. Among the paintings, two of the most splendid depict the temptation of the Buddha by the demon Mara and the First Sermon of the Buddha.
Dambulla is a division of the Cultural Triangle affirmed by UNESCO is on the main road from Sigiriya to Kandy about 19Km from Sigiriya. There are over 80 caves in the surrounding and the monks as meditation sites have used some of them. Major attractions are spread over 5 caves, which include the statues and the paintings. Since it's beginning in the 1 century BC by King Valagamba, many enhancements and add-ons have been carried out to the sculptures and paintings over the years. Hindu statues are thought to be of the 12 century AD and the latest paintings are of the late 18-century. The temple is a perfect site to outlook evolution of the ancient Sri Lankan arts. Dambulla is an exclusive and significant historical place because of the amalgamation of the material from many eras.
Near by Dambulla deep inside the forest is perhaps the oldest garden in Sri Lanka is the Iron Wood Forest and the largest Rose Quartz Mountain Range in South Asia . King Dappula had affirmed the site as a human sanctuary in 10 century AD as shown in a message at the doorway to Namal Uyana. Trees believed to have been planted by those who sought sanctuary here and later turned in to a vast plantation of Iron wood forest. Apart from the biodiversity of the place as it holds many other plants, it is also geologically imperative because of the Rose Quartz mountain range in the garden, which is believed to be over 500 million years old. White rose and violet colour quartz deposits can be seen here.
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