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Dambulla
cave
temple
(Sinhalese:
Dam̆būlū
Len
Vihāraya,
Tamil
Tampuḷḷai
Poṟkōvil)
also
known
as
the
Golden
Temple
of
Dambulla
is
a
World
Heritage
Site
(1991)
in
Sri
Lanka,
This
temple
complex
dates
back
to
the
first
century
BCE.
It
has
five
caves
under
a
vast
overhanging
rock,
carved
with
a
drip
line
to
keep
the
interiors
dry.
In
1938
the
architecture
was
embellished
with
arched
colonnades
and
gabled
entrances.
Inside
the
caves,
the
ceilings
are
painted
with
intricate
patterns
of
religious
images
following
the
contours
of
the
rock.
There
are
images
of
the
Lord
Buddha
and
bodhisattvas,
as
well
as
various
gods
and
goddesses.
The
Dambulla
cave
monastery
is
still
functional
and
remains
the
best-preserved
ancient
edifice
in
Sri
Lanka.
This
complex
dates
from
the
third
and
second
centuries
BC,
when
it
was
already
established
as
one
of
the
largest
and
most
important
monasteries.
Valagamba
of
Anuradhapura
is
traditionally
thought
to
have
converted
the
caves
into
a
temple
in
the
first
century
BC.
Exiled
from
Anuradhapura,
he
sought
refuge
here
from
South
Indian
usurpers
for
15
years.
After
reclaiming
his
capital,
the
King
built
a
temple
in
thankful
worship.
Many
other
kings
added
to
it
later
and
by
the
11th
century,
the
caves
had
become
a
major
religious
centre
and
still
are.The
temples,
which
give
this
place
celebrity,
are
parts
of
a
vast
cavern
in
the
west
side
of
the
rock,
at
the
height
of
about
three
hundred
and
fifty
feet
above
the
plain.
Whet
het
the
cavern
in
which
these
temples
are
formed,
is
altogether
natural,
or
only
partly
natural,
or
only
partly
natural
and
partly
artificial,
it
is
now
not
easy
to
determine.
The
probability
is,
that
it
is
principally
natural,
and
that
man
has
had
very
little
to
do
in
excavating
it.
The
tradition
has
it
that
some
of
the
caves
were
excavated
by
king
Vattagamani
Abhaya
in
the
first
century
B.
C.
It
can
be
surmised
that
this
king
and
his
successors,
in
benefaction
to
this
place
had
to
enlarge
and
smoothen
the
caves,
and
cut
the
drip-ledge
(katarama)
along
the
rock
to
protect
the
caves
from
rain
water.
Nissanka
Malla
of
Polonnaruwa
gilded
the
caves
and
added
about
70
Buddha
statues
in
1190.
During
the
18th
century,
the
caves
were
restored
and
painted
by
the
Kingdom
of
Kandy.
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