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Photo Essay: Golden Temple Of Dambulla, Sri Lanka

Bright skies ahead, despite the heavy downpour in the wee hours. I savored the crisp morning breeze as our tuktuk, driven by a local named Wimala, dashed towards the bus terminal. I was afloat with an insane surge of energy, perhaps because I just showered away the last seventy-two transit hours. Yep, my last bath was five cities and three time zones ago.

We were to catch yet another suicidal bus ride to the Golden Temple of Dambulla. A UNESCO World Heritage Site cave temple complex that dates back to the 1st century BC. The cave’s ceiling paintings were waiting to blow us away.

See how half of that day (in April last year) went before we rushed to our third Sri Lanka heritage site, Sigiriya. And before we were ripped off in a roadside cafeteria.

UNESCO World Heritage Site Golden Temple of Dambulla.

The Golden Buddha Statue.

Panoramic view of the surrounding plains.

Easy hike up.

No shoes beyond this point.

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Pilgrims shuffling to and fro.

Waiting for the temple to reopen. For some reason, visitors were asked to leave and come back after fifteen minutes.

Yes, this monolithic Buddha fits inside the cave.

Well preserved paintings on the cave’s ceiling.

Buddhas carved out of massive rocks.

Not-So Refreshingly Sri Lanka (and it’s all my fault) Series:

Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka: Ruins Of An Ancient Capital
Temple of The Tooth
The Kandy House
Not-So Refreshingly Sri Lanka
How To Apply For A Sri Lanka Tourist Visa In The Philippines

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Gay Mitra
When not backpacking, she teaches her daughter sight words and belly dancing (even if she's not good at it). She's currently eating her way around some hippie town in Australia. She loves talking about herself in the third person.

35 thoughts on “Photo Essay: Golden Temple Of Dambulla, Sri Lanka

  1. you gotta love those suicidal bus rides, but in this case, it was WORTH it! Love the atmosphere of your blog and your travel philosophy. I’m subscibing.

  2. Gorgeous pictures, Gay! Those buddhas and the cave are absolutely amazing. I haven’t seen many pictures of Sri Lanka but this changes my perception of the country. Definitely worth the suicidal bus trip =)

  3. Larger than life ang mga statues esp. the monolithic statue inside. Very interesting to visit for.. Kaso Sri Lanka? hehe cant afford.

  4. Breathtaking as always. You will pass for a travel show host, PTJ. Everytime I see FUN TAIWAN show in TLC, the host reminds me of you. 🙂

  5. Not really fond of traveling abroad but I have to admit I am green with envy because, if I will travel abroad, Bhutan is one of the places I’d visit (as well as Laos and Nepal). Hayan tuloy, nagising and akin itchy feet lol 🙂

  6. I have heard alot of good reports about Dambulla from friends who went on a cricket tour there. Might have to put it on my travel wishlist.

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