Dambulla cave temple
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Dambulla cave temple (
Sinhala: දඹුලු ලෙන් විහාරය
dam̆būlū len vihāraya,
Tamil:
தம்புள்ளை பொற்கோவில் tampuḷḷai poṟkōvil) also known as the
Golden Temple of Dambulla is a
World Heritage Site (1991) in
Sri Lanka, situated in the central part of the country. This site is situated 148 km east of
Colombo and 72 km north of
Kandy.
It is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka.
The rock towers 160 m over the surrounding plains.There are more than 80
documented
caves in the surrounding area. Major attractions are spread over 5 caves, which contain
statues and
paintings. These paintings and statues are related to Lord
Buddha
and his life. There total of 153 Buddha statues, 3 statues of Sri
Lankan kings and 4 statues of gods and goddesses. The latter include two
statues of
Hindu gods, the god
Vishnu and the god
Ganesh. The murals cover an area of 2,100 square meters. Depictions on the walls of the caves include the temptation by the demon
Mara, and Buddha's first
sermon.
Prehistoric Sri Lankans would have lived in these cave complexes
before the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka as there are burial sites
with human skeletons about 2700 years old in this area, at Ibbankatuwa
near the Dambulla cave complexes.
History
This temple complex dates back to the 1st century BC. It has five
caves under a vast overhanging rock, carved with a drip line to keep the
interiors dry. In 1938 the architecture was embellished with arched
colonnades and gabled entrances. Inside the caves, the ceilings are
painted with intricate patterns of religious images following the
contours of the rock. There are images of the Lord Buddha and
bodhisattvas, as well as various gods and goddesses.
The Dambulla cave monastery is still functional and remains the
best-preserved ancient edifice in Sri Lanka. This complex dates from the
3rd and 2nd centuries BC, when it was already established as one of the
largest and most important monasteries. King
Valagambahu is traditionally thought to have converted the caves into a temple in the 1st century BC. Exiled from
Anuradhapura,
he sought refuge here from South Indian usurpers for 15 years. After
reclaiming his capital, the King built a temple in thankful worship.
Many other kings added to it later and by the 11th century, the caves
had become a major religious centre and still are.
King Nissanka Malla
gilded the caves and added about 70 Buddha statues in 1190. During the
18th century, the caves were restored and painted by the
Kandyan Kings.
The five caves
The temple is composed of five caves, which have been converted into
shrine rooms. The caves, built at the base of a 150m high rock during
the
Anuradhapura (1st century BC to 993 AD) and
Polonnaruwa times (1073 to 1250), are by far the most impressive of the many cave temples found in
Sri Lanka. Access is along the gentle slope of the
Dambulla Rock, offering a panoramic view of the surrounding flat lands, which includes the rock fortress
Sigiriya,
19 km away. Dusk brings hundreds of swooping swallows to the cave
entrance. The largest cave measures about 52m from east to west, and 23m
from the entrance to the back, this spectacular cave is 7m tall at its
highest point. Hindu deities are also represented here, as are the kings
Valagamba and
Nissankamalla, and
Ananda - the Buddha's most devoted disciple.
Cave of the Divine King
The first cave is called
Devaraja lena (lena in sinhalese
meaning cave), or "Cave of the Divine King." An account of the founding
of the monastery is recorded in a 1st-century Brahmi inscription over
the entrance to the first cave. This cave is dominated by the 14-meter
statue of the Buddha, hewn out of the rock. It has been repainted
countless times in the course of its history, and probably received its
last coat of paint in the 20th century. At his feet is Buddha's favorite
pupil, Ananda; at his head,
Vishnu, said to have used his divine powers to create the caves.
Cave of the Great Kings
In the second and largest cave, in addition to 16 standing and 40 seated statues of Buddha, are the gods
Saman and Vishnu, which pilgrims often decorate with garlands, and finally statues of King
Vattagamani Abhaya, who honored the monastery in the 1st century BC., and
King Nissanka Malla,
responsible in the 12th century for the gilding of 50 statues, as
indicated by a stone inscription near the monastery entrance. This cave
is accordingly called
Maharaja lena, "Cave of the Great Kings."
The Buddha statue hewn out of the rock on the left side of the room is
escorted by wooden figures of the
Bodhisattvas Maitreya and
Avalokiteshvara or
Natha.
There is also a dagoba and a spring which drips its water, said to have
healing powers, out of a crack in the ceiling. Valuable tempera
paintings on the cave ceiling dating from the 18th century depict scenes
from Buddha's life, from the dream of
Mahamaya to temptation by the demon
Mara. Further pictures relate important events from the country's history.
Great New Monastery
The third cave, the
Maha Alut Vihara, the "Great New Monastery" acquired ceiling and wall paintings in the typical
Kandy style during the reign of King
Kirti Sri Rajasinha (1747–1782), the famous Buddhist revivalist. In addition to the 50 Buddha statues, there is also a statue of the king.
Statues
The Golden Buddha statue, Dambulla golden temple, few kms drive from the Cave temple.
Within these shrine rooms is representative of many epochs of
Sinhala sculpture and
Sinhala art.
The Buddha statues are in varying sizes and attitudes - the largest is
15 meters long. One cave has over 1,500 paintings of Buddha covering the
ceiling.
References
- This page incorporates content from Dr. Rohan Hettiarachchi's [1] used with permission of website owner.
SLNEWS
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