I caught a bus in the morning from Kandy bus terminal to Dambulla (2hr trip costing 70 LKR), & bought some food on board the bus from one of the many hawkers. I've noticed a lot of the street food you buy comes wrapped up in old school work papers! On my way to Dambulla a local man boarded the bus & proceeded to play a tambourine, & then started to sing! He later walked up & down the aisle collecting money, he wasn't given that much which wasn't a surprise as he wasn't very good!
We stopped briefly for a break about half way to Dambulla, before arriving at lunchtime. I jumped off the bus a few stops before the bus terminal as I knew most of the places to stay were in the north of the town & I’d already decided I would seek out the 'Oasis Tourist Welfare Centre'. I easily found it & the family seemed very friendly, they wanted 1200 LKR for a room, so I offered 1000 LKR which was accepted although I still thought this was a little too much for the room for what it was.
After settling in my homestay I later crossed the road & bought a ticket for the Golden Temple and the cave temples (200 LKR).
I climbed the steep steps up to the cave temples (a few hungry macaque monkeys where hanging around waiting to be fed!) & when I reached the top I decided to view the furthest temple first & then make my way back over to the first one (as recommended by my guide book). They were amazing & it was incredible to see the Buddha’s carved out of the solid rock.
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.
I ventured back down & explored more of the Golden Temple, & then paid a brief visit to the Dambulla museum (it was nice to use one of my cultural triangle tickets!) It was ok although slightly annoying when the keeper just followed me around switching on & off the lights & the air-conditioning as I walked around!
I finished off the day walking the length of the very busy and dusty road through Dambulla. I walked around the market area & took some interesting photographs of the wonderful fruit & vegetables, (everyone was really friendly). I also came across somebody making 'Hoppers', (pronounced 'Appa') which are small bowl shaped pancakes made from batter containing coconut milk & palm toddy. They are cooked in a small wok like thing, so that most of the mix sinks to the bottom making them soft & doughy at the bottom & crispy around the edges. Mine came with a small amount of chili paste (Lunumiris) but you can have them sweet with jam or honey.
We stopped briefly for a break about half way to Dambulla, before arriving at lunchtime. I jumped off the bus a few stops before the bus terminal as I knew most of the places to stay were in the north of the town & I’d already decided I would seek out the 'Oasis Tourist Welfare Centre'. I easily found it & the family seemed very friendly, they wanted 1200 LKR for a room, so I offered 1000 LKR which was accepted although I still thought this was a little too much for the room for what it was.
Bus from Kandy to Dambulla
The Oasis Tourist Welfare Centre
My lovely room in Dambulla
After settling in my homestay I later crossed the road & bought a ticket for the Golden Temple and the cave temples (200 LKR).
The Golden Temple with its 30 metre high seated Golden Buddha
The Golden Temple
I climbed the steep steps up to the cave temples (a few hungry macaque monkeys where hanging around waiting to be fed!) & when I reached the top I decided to view the furthest temple first & then make my way back over to the first one (as recommended by my guide book). They were amazing & it was incredible to see the Buddha’s carved out of the solid rock.
Dambulla Rock
Plenty of macaque monkeys on the way up
The Dambulla Caves 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) & Polonnaruwa times (1073 to 1250), are the largest & best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. 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 & statues are related to Buddha & his life. There are a total of 153 Buddha statues, 3 statues of Sri Lankan kings & 4 statues of gods & goddesses.
The Devana Alut Viharaya Cave (unlike the other sites statues, which are created from solid rock, the images here are made of brick & plaster)
Cave Maha Alut Viharaya created by King Sri Rajasinha. The reclining Buddha is carved out of solid rock
Cave Maharaja Vihara is the largest & most spectacular at Dambulla (50m by 7m)
Cave Devaraja Viharaya with a 14 metre long sleeping Buddha, carved out of solid rock
More Macaque monkeys (on the way down)
I ventured back down & explored more of the Golden Temple, & then paid a brief visit to the Dambulla museum (it was nice to use one of my cultural triangle tickets!) It was ok although slightly annoying when the keeper just followed me around switching on & off the lights & the air-conditioning as I walked around!
Near the Golden Temple
I finished off the day walking the length of the very busy and dusty road through Dambulla. I walked around the market area & took some interesting photographs of the wonderful fruit & vegetables, (everyone was really friendly). I also came across somebody making 'Hoppers', (pronounced 'Appa') which are small bowl shaped pancakes made from batter containing coconut milk & palm toddy. They are cooked in a small wok like thing, so that most of the mix sinks to the bottom making them soft & doughy at the bottom & crispy around the edges. Mine came with a small amount of chili paste (Lunumiris) but you can have them sweet with jam or honey.
Fruit & Vegetable market in Dambulla
Making Hoppers!
My Hopper!
Cheapest lunch so far in Sri Lanka (100 LKR, about 56p!)
My first evening spent at my homestay wasn't exactly quiet, it was very windy & it didn't help that the roof was made from sheets of corrugated iron & a few planks of wood!
Will be visiting Sri Lanka in October-2012.thanks for the information through your excellent and precise blog.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you found it informative. I believe prices have risen somewhat since 2011 :-(
DeleteYour blog is amazing! It helped me and my best friend plan our entire trip around Sri Lanka. Thank you so much for such an informative account on everything!
ReplyDeleteI am glad it came in handy! I hope you have more happy travels in the future :-)
Delete