Dambulla

The Dambulla Cave Temple is traced to the 1st century BC, and is the most treasured cave temple in Asia. It has five caves under a vast rock that overhangs the temple. On the underbelly of the Rock is carved a drip line that keeps the interiors dry.Inside the caves, the ceilings are adorned with intricate patterns of religious images meticulously painted following the natural contours of the rock. Images of the Buddha and bodhisattvas and gods and goddesses are to be seen inside.The cave monastery remains the best-preserved historical structure in Sri Lanka that dates back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC. It remains to this day a living Shrine that draws thousands of devotees and curious visitors.