The Golden Temple of Dambulla

The Golden Temple of Dambulla is a unique Buddhist temple located in a cave in the mountains of Sri Lanka. This sacred place has been a place of religious pilgrimage for 22 centuries. The temple is also recognized as a World Cultural Heritage Site and is protected by UNESCO.

The Golden Temple of Dambulla was founded in the I century BC. Many of the ancient rulers of Sri Lanka took part in its creation and development. The temple is located right inside the rock and occupies a complex of five man-made caves. First of all, Dambulla is famous for the largest collection of Buddha statues - there are 153 of them here, and some sculptures are more than two thousand years old. Seventy-three statues are covered with pure gold, which is why the temple got its name.

The walls of the caves are thickly covered with frescoes and traditional Buddhist drawings. In fact, the temple is a huge gallery of cave paintings. The paintings depict the main moments in the life of the Buddha - birth, insight, renunciation of a rich life, preaching and many more.

The cultural and historical significance of this place cannot be overestimated - the Golden Temple of Dambulla is absolutely unique, it is one of the treasures of Buddhist culture. Among Buddhist believers, the temple is revered as a shrine, but even non-religious people will surely enjoy the atmosphere of antiquity and peace.