Dambulla cave temples date back to the first century BC and are both another UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest and best-preserved cave temples in Sri Lanka.  Accessed by a long flight of steps set in to the rock, and given an arrival under full sun after the drive from Polonnaruwa, it was hot and sweaty work making the ascent.  With shoes and socks removed at the entrance, it was a matter of quite literally hot-footing it between patches of shaded stone paving in order to reach the first cave.  Thereafter, each subsequent entrance was reached in shade but the air was still stifling hot – and even the caves weren’t much cooler.

The five caves contain 153 Buddha statues, 3 of Sri Lankan kings and 4 of gods and goddesses.  The heat and humidity isn’t kind to painted plaster – untreated white walls don’t remain white for long before mildew sets in – but the paintings and statutes inside are in remarkable condition for their very substantial age.

The images belie the fact that the caves are very dark inside making photography a challenge, but some creativity saw me through.

Steve