The temple of Gold of Dambulla is a Buddhist site Sri Lanka, located at the North of Kandy in the district of Matale, with some twenty kilometers in the South-west of Sigirîya. The town of Dambulla is built around a broad granite rock which contains an important complex of caves, the Rajah Maha Vihara , dating from the 1st century. It is about most important and of preserved complexes best of caves of Sri Lanka.

The site consists of some eighty caves, five sanctuaries, four principal monasteries. It comprises 157 statues, 153 images of the Bouddha, 3 images royal and 4 images of divinities. The murals, recovering 2.100 square meters, represent, inter alia the temptation of Buddha by the demon Māra and its first sermon. One finds there also statues of the divinities Hindou are Vishnou and Saman.

History

The origin of the establishment with Dambulla is the escape of the râja Vattagamani Abhaya, détrôné of Anurâdhapura in 104 av. J. - C. by Tamoul S and which finds refuge with Dambulla. Restored on its throne, it created the complex of caves.

The Stûpa is built at the 5th century. To the 12th century, the statues of Vishnou and Saman are added to the complex.

The Singhalese nationalist movement begins here in 1848.

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