Top 4 Places to Visit When in Dambulla, Sri Lanka

Some 148 km from Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka, is the lush and enchanting city of Dambulla. Hotel accommodations here are full of tourists who wish to see many historical and cultural treasures from Sri Lanka's more than 3,000 years of recorded history. Here are some of the places that hold these priceless artifacts, artworks, and landforms.

1. Golden Temple of Dambulla

The most popular attraction in the city, Golden Temple of Dambulla, was declared a World Heritage Site in 1991. A sanctuary of lore and culture, the 5 caves that make up the site hold between them a total of 153 Buddha statues, 3 images of Sri Lankan kings, and 4 representations of gods and goddesses. The caves also feature a 2,100 sqm mural that depicts various visuals from historical and religious texts. The cave complex dates back to 1st century BC and was already an important monastery by 3rd BC. Aside from the temple, human remains estimated to be around 2,700 years old have been found in the cave.

2. Rose Quartz Mountain

It took about 500 million years for nature to build the Rose Quartz Mountain in Dambulla. This violet- and pink-colored geological formation is the largest of its kind in South Asia. Thick vegetation may hide the mountain's pastel colors from viewers far off, but the jagged outcrops pose a bit of risk to hikers and climbers who wish to embark in a bedazzling adventure.

3. Ironwood Grove Forest Monastery

The forest, which known in the local tongue as Na Uyana Aranya, takes its name after the Ceylon ironwood which grows abundantly in the area. An inscription in one of the caves in Na Uyana Aranya dates back to the 3rd century, while a forest monastery was rediscovered and restored in 1954. The forest covers a total of 5,000 acres and houses about 100 Buddhist monks.

4. Dambulla International Cricket Stadium

Unlike most of the ancient attractions in the city that took a lot of time to be formed or constructed, Dambulla International Cricket Stadium is famous for being built in just 167 days. The stadium has a capacity of 30,000 seats and occupies a total of 240,000 sq m. Aside from the cricket matches held here throughout the year, spectators and tourists are also attracted to the stadium by the view which overlooks Dambulla reservoir and Dambulla Rock.

There are a number of ways to get to the city. From Bandaranaike International Airport, you can easily take the bus or hire a car. One can also go by boat through the deep-water ports in Galle, Colombo, and Trincomaleeg. The city enjoys a fairly temperate climate throughout the year so its guests are sure to have a visually pleasing holiday should they choose to book at a Dambulla hotel such as Amaya Lake, one of the most picturesque lodgings in the city.