The Dambulla Caves

While not quite on a par with climbing the 463 steps of the Duomo in Florence or walking down 700 steps into the birthplace of the Rajasthani warriors at India's Mt. Abu, the climb up to the Dambulla caves is still a fairly strenuous hike. The ascent begins at the Las Vega-style greeting center. The photo to the left shows the initial phase of the climb, up a cobblestone walkway from the visitor's center and parking lot. Soon visitors are high enough to get a view of the expansive plains below. The photo to the right shows a vista from a point about three-quarters of the way up the hill. From there one can see the rock fortress of Sigiriya on a clear day. Once you reach the summit, shoes are removed and you pass through an entry gate that leads to the main courtyard. The photo at the lower left shows the view looking from the center of the courtyard back toward the entryway. Prayer banners abound, as do the monkeys who are clearly used to interacting (being fed) by visitors. The photo to the lower right looks the other direction from the courtyard. The white buildings built under the mountain's outcropping are the entrances to the five Dambulla Caves. Some are natural, some are man-made; most seem to have been natural formations enlarged by the monks over the centuries. Inscriptions from as early as the first century B.C. make mention of the Dambulla Caves; when invaders overran King Abhaya's complex at Anuradhapura, he sought protection and was given refuge by the resident monks.








Entrance to the Dambulla caves is gained through the walkway shown in the previous set of photos. The image to the left shows the small stupa at the beginning of the walkway, near the entrance to Cave 1. Cave 1 is known as The Temple of the King of the Gods because it was believed that Sakka, the king of the Gods, put the finishing touches to the principal statue within it. This image depicts the Parinibbana or the passing away of the Buddha (photo to the left). The statue is typical of late Anuradhapura sculpture. It is about 47 ft. in length. The face is almost expressionless, while the hair is schematically shown by a series of dots. The fine-textured robe is depicted by a series of grooves arranged closely in pairs. The whole figure is executed in the round out of the existing rock and is joined to the rock wall along the back.  This cave holds five other images. Of these the one at the southern end of the room is said to be of Arahat Ananda, the Buddhas attendant-at-arms, weeping at the death of the Master. At the northern end, facing the principal image, is a statue identified as Vishnu by some scholars and as Upulvan by others, one of the four guardian deities of the Island. This figure has been very cleverly worked.  This cave also contains many wall and ceiling paintings.

Cave 2, The Temple of the Great King, is the largest and the most impressive cave in the complex. The front portal is a lofty archway guarded on either side by "Makara" figures executed in stone. According to current lore, this shrine was founded by the Great king Vattagamini Abhaya. The paintings and sculptures here are well conceived. The cave is seventy-two feet long, seventy five feet wide, and twenty one feet high at the entrance. The roof is arched and slopes down towards the back wall. This cave contains fifty three images. Most of them are of the Buddha, in different attitudes, shown by different mudras (postures). Many of the statues are well proportioned, and larger than life size; the smallest of them are human size. The photo to the left shows the figure of the recumbent Buddha near the outer wall, while the image to the right is one of a row of images that form a gallery between the wall and the other figures. The entire wall surface of the cave is a mosaic of brilliantly colored paintings. in which yellow is predominant. The ceiling nearest the entrance has been used to display paintings of the life of the Buddha, before and after Enlightenment.


 

Cave 3, the Great New Temple, is separated from Cave 2  by a masonry wall. This cave is said to have been used as store room until the 18th century. The cave is about ninety feet long, and eighty one feet wide; its ceiling is shelving rock, about thirty six feet high, making it the second largest cave. The vast rock surface is painted in rich colors and it is ornamented with murals executed in the tradition of the Kandyan period of art. The frescoes depict events in Buddhist history. as well as the life of the Buddha. Altogether this cave houses fifty images of the Buddha. The principle image is a standing figure facing the entrance placed under a "thorama" or ornate gateway. (photo to the left) Both image and gateway are carved out of the natural rock. Another notable sculpture is the figure of the recumbent Buddha: It is about thirty feet in length. and very well proportioned. The face is handsome, and the sculptor has cleverly worked his medium so that the face holds an expression of remarkable peace and tranquility.. Considering that the medium is hard granite the achievement is noteworthy both artistically and technically. There are seven standing images, each about ten feet tall. The others are life-size or a little smaller. The greater number are painted yellow, while there are robes in red. This cave features the Kandyan approach to art and sculpture.

Cave 4 is named the Western Temple. It is about fifty feet long. and twenty feet wide. The roof is about twenty seven feet high. and dips steeply towards the back wall. This cave has ten figures of the Buddha all of equal size and proportion. (photo to the left) The principal sedant figure is placed under a Thorana. an archway. in the classical posture of meditation. This statue, hewn out of the rock, is painted in the brilliant colours of the Kandyan period of painting and remains in a very fine state of preservation. The other images placed in two rows to the right and left of the principal image are cut out of the rock and are painted in bright colours. Most of them are of human proportion, while a few are larger.




Cave 5, called Devana Alut Viharaya (I could find no English equivalent) is the smallest of all shrine rooms of the Dambulla Rock Temple. This was made a shrine room by a local chieftain in the beginning of this century .This cave consists of a natural rock roof and four built-up walls. It has a painted area of 69.5 square metres. The width of it is roughly 6.8 metres and the length is roughly 12.25 metres. The seats of the Buddha statues are built with blocks and rubble similar to those used in building the walls. There are eleven statues in this cave and the principal image is the recumbent Buddha.  (photo to the right) This image takes a more prominent place than the other ten statues, for it shows a higher degree of workmanship. At the Buddha's head lies a shrine featuring a sitting Buddha and a hooded Buddha (photos to the left and bottom).

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