Dambulla

The most revered cave temple in Asia, the Dambulla Cave Temple, dates back to the first century BC. Its five chambers are hidden beneath a huge boulder that hangs over the temple. A drip line is carved on the underside of the rock to keep the inside dry. The ceilings of the caverns are decorated with elaborate patterns of sacred symbols that have been skillfully painted to follow the natural curves of the rock. The interior has pictures of gods, goddesses, bodhisattvas, and the Buddha. The cave monastery is still Sri Lanka's best-preserved historical building, dating to the 2nd and 3rd centuries B.C. It is still a functioning shrine today, attracting tens of thousands of followers and curious onlookers

The temple features five caves that have been ingeniously turned into shrines. The most inspiring of Sri Lanka's many cave temples are those built at the foot of a 150-meter-high rock during the first century BC to 993 AD and between 1073 and 1250. You can see the Sigiriya rock fortification rising out of the plains below as you stroll along the gentle slope of the majestic Dambulla rock, which leads to the cave temple. You will undoubtedly think of Homer because a trip to Sri Lanka is the most pleasurable journey you can have in Asia.