Dambulla
About 12 miles from Sigiriya you’ll come to the Raja Maha
Vihara, otherwise known as the Dambulla Cave Temple or Golden
Temple. This is actually a series of five temples that finds
its origin in the Anuradhapura period (1st Century B.C.), even
though the art works that have survived to this day are mostly
representative of the Kandyan period (18th Century) due to restoration
efforts.
These caves used to be places of refuge and have been embellished
by several kings throughout Sinhalese history. Be awed by the
157 statues of Buddha and royalty, as well as intricate wall
and ceiling frescoes of both religious and secular nature.
Look out especially for the ceiling paintings in the fourth
cave, which follow the folds of the rock so closely that they
have been mistaken for cloth paintings stuck onto the ceiling. |
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