North Walsham, Norfolk -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/14/2010 -- Dambulla Cave Temple is a World Heritage Site in Sri Lanka 72 km north of Kandy and 148 km east of Colombo. It is Sri Lanka's most impressive cave temple complex, sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists, and is spread through five caves containing 160 statues of Buddha, ancient kings and Hindu deities. There are 2100 square meters of murals depicting the life of Buddha, including one where the ceiling is covered with 1500 pictures of him. If you want to put some wonder into your holidays Sri Lanka is the place to find it.

Travelers can spend a day seeing the caves. Access to the temples is by a stone stairway running up 160-meter Dambulla Rock, the ascent offering a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside.

The first temple is the Cave of the Divine King. Here can be seen a 14-meter statue of Buddha with his pupil, Ananda. Since the cave was used by both Hindus and Buddhists, there is also a statue of Vishnu.

The second temple is the Cave of the Great Kings, containing 56 statues of Buddha, statues of Hindu deities Vishnu and Saman, and two kings who were important in the construction of the temples.

Third is the Great New Monastery, dating to a Buddhist revival in the 18th century. Here visitors can see 50 statues of Buddha and a statue of the king who commanded the construction.

The fourth and fifth cave temples are smaller and from a later period, and their artwork is generally regarded as inferior in quality.

There is a temple to Vishnu between caves one and two which is a favorite with both tourists and worshippers.

This is the kind of holidays Sri Lanka is famous for. This ancient island is full of wonders waiting for the adventurous traveler.

For More Information: http://www.puretravel.com/Guide/Asia/South_Asia/sri_lanka