Traditional location

 Rangiridambulla Rajamaha Vihara

 Introduction

Dambulla Viharaya is a cave temple made up of innumerable Buddha statues. Ancient Sinhala paintings and statues have been created many centuries ago. It is the most beloved cave temple in Sri Lanka. Dambulla is located in the middle of a triangle that connects the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, Anuradhapuraya, Polonnaruwa, and Kandy.

The average elevation of the Dambulla Rock is 1118 feet above sea level. Kurunegala plain on one side and Sigiriya and Ritigala mountains on the other.

The most popular of these cave temples are the Rangiri Dambulla and Dabulu Rajamahawiharaya. Dambulla rock rises 600 feet above the surrounding plain. The huge boulder where the temple is located is about 500 feet high and about 2000 feet long.

Historical background

Dambulla Viharaya is mainly known for its sculptures. Ancient records state that there were 73 sleeping and seated Buddha statues during the reign of King Nissankamalla in the 12th century, 1300 paintings by the time of King Narendra, and another 1000 paintings by the time of King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe in the 18th century. There are two types of Dambulla sculptures, religious and locomotive. Most of the religious statues are reclining, reclining, and reclining Buddha statues of various sizes.

Paintings

Dambulla has the largest number of murals and canopies in Sri Lanka These paintings are spread over 20,000 square feet. The scope of these depicts the past lives of the Supreme Buddha to the moments of the character of the Lord Buddha. It also depicts news related to the early history of the Buddha in Sri Lanka. The Maharaja Cave and the Aluth Vihara are the largest examples of 18th-century Kandyan paintings. Images belonging to this period can be seen in the temples in and around Kandy.

Review

Dambulla Rajamaha Viharaya is still loved and revered as one of the oldest and most revered living monuments among the thousands of temples in Sri Lanka. The splendor of Dambulla has survived for over two thousand years since the beginning of the Christian era, amidst various changes and restorations made by pious kings. Hundreds of Buddha statues of various poses and sizes, increasing in number from year to year, and the group of paintings painted on the walls and canopies of each pair on each surface is a perfect measure of the Buddha's character.