Dambulla Cave Temple

Nearby Attractions

The most popular nearby attraction

• Sigiriya Rock Fortress and Pidurangala Historical Temple

Sigiriya Rock Fortress, Lion Rock, is a unique harmony between nature and human imagination. It’s a masterpiece of the ancient urban landscape with pools, architectural technology, exceptional hydraulic engineering and management, exquisite frescoes, graffiti, lion paws, a royal palace, moats, and ramparts of the fortification. This well-preserved ancient rock fortress is probably the most visited UNESCO World Heritage Site in Sri Lanka.
Pidurangala is an ancient Buddhist monastery built on a natural rock that is situated close to Sigiriya Rock Fortress.
Distance: 20 Km

• Minneriya National Park

Because of its elephant population, Minneriya National Park is the second most visited national park in Sri Lanka. From May through September, Asia’s largest elephant gathering takes place in their natural habitat. Ideal to visit in May to September.

Distance: 33.5 Km

• Namal Uyana Rose Quartz Mountain

Namal Uyana is a Buddhist Forest Monastery that was founded in the third century BC. The ruins of the ancient monastery can still be seen here.
The Rose Quartz Mountain is Asia’s largest Rose Quartz Mountain, surrounded by Ironwood (Mesua ferrea) forest. The seven-ridged mountain range rises from 180 to 300 meters above sea level. These rose quartz formations are around 550 million years old, and the region is Sri Lanka’s greatest plant fossil deposit.
The Ironwood Forest, which is several hundred years old, spans over 1000 hectares of land. The forest’s rather ordered structure shows that it was human cultivation.
Distance: 19 Km

• Nalanda Gedige

The shrine, which was built roughly 1100 years ago, is an extraordinary combination of Hindu and Buddhist architecture.
Nalanda Gedige was abandoned and forgotten until it was discovered in 1893. Later in the 1980s, the shrine was threatened by flooding as a result of the construction of the Bowatenne Tank. As a result, the shrine was moved to the retaining wall of the tank, well above the water. Surprisingly, the shrine’s original location was right in the center of Sri Lanka.
Distance: 24 Km

• Aukana Buddha Statue

The highest ancient Buddha statue in Sri Lanka is the 11.36m Aukana Buddha Statue. It rises tall amid all of Sri Lanka’s major masterpieces, both physically and metaphorically.

The statue’s tranquil look, clearly emphasizing the contour of the torso, and the delicately sculpted robe with crisp folds add a delicateness that could barely be fashioned out of a granite boulder. The artist of this magnificently matched work of art is still unknown.
Another distinguishing aspect is that the statue stands alone, with only a short strip of rock from the boulder that supports it.
Distance: 40 km

• Ritigala Buddhist Monastery

Ritigala mountain range is a one-of-a-kind archaeological and ecological reserve. It contains a distinctive ecology rich in medicinal plants and rare fauna species.

The location with the 70 rock caves used to be a Buddhist monastic complex for hermit monks. The ruins cover an area of around 120 acres.
Distance: 39 Km