Part of Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle, the Dambulla Cave Temple is one of the island’s most visited attractions - and it really does live up to the hype. Inside five sacred sanctuaries lies some of the country's most impressive religious art - we’re talking more than 150 ancient Buddha statues and colourful paintings covering every inch of the cave wall. A time-capsule of a bygone era, these shrines have a strong spiritual - almost ethereal - presence that needs to be experienced to be fully appreciated. If this hasn’t roused your curiosity, nothing will and we definitely recommend taking some time to visit in your spare time.
On most days, the temple is thronged with tourists looking to tick a cave temple off their holiday wish-list. It’s easy to brush over the site’s long and fascinating history, but if there’s one place where it’s worth doing some background research, it’s here. The shrine is thought to date back more than 2000 years, when the exiled King Valagamba took refuge in the caves and later had them carved into spectacular temples. Various religious art, embellishments and restoration work has been added over the centuries, and the result is strikingly beautiful. Today, the UNESCO-listed site is the most well preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka and a must-see for history and culture buffs - or anyone who wants to take some incredible holiday snaps.