Located at an elevation of 1118 feet from the sea level rises a massive rock from the surrounding plains of Dambulla of 600 feet high and over 2000 feet in length. It is home to the World’s most acclaimed Cave complex of magnificent Buddha Images and Rock Paintings of vivid colors and shapes constructed and painted from around 2nd Century BC (Anuradhapura era) and continued up to the Kandyan era of the 18th Century. Sinhalese people call it ‘ Dambulu Gala’ (Dambulla Rock) and the Temple is called the ‘ Rangiri Dambulu Viharaya’ (Golden Rock Dambulla Temple). The Dambulla temple has five caves and 157 statues of the Lord Buddha, many paintings on the ceilings and walls that emphasize the artistic talent of ancient days. The history of the caves, rock, and temple dates from the 1st century BC. The fascination of these caves is not only the statues but also the many intricate and delicate paintings that cover the ceiling and walls, created with indigenous traditional paints.