The city of Dambulla is situated in the Central Province of Sri Lanka, situated 148 km north-east of Colombo and 72 km north of Kandy.
Ibbankatuwa prehistoric burial site near Dhambulla cave temple complexes is the latest archaeological site of significant historical importance found in Dambulla, which is located within 3 kilometers of the cave temples providing evidence on presence of indigenous civilisations long before the arrival of Indian influence on the Island nation.
Bopath Ella
The name "Bopath Ella" has been given to the waterfall because of its shape. The water flows through a narrow gap in the rocks and then widens, forming the shape of a leaf of a "Bo tree which is the Sinhalese name for sacred fig."Path" means leaves of a tree and "Ella" means waterfall.Virgin forests with a rich biodiversity surround the waterfall.
Bopath Ella is 30 metres (98 ft) high. It is formed from the Kuru Ganga, which is a tributary of theKaluGanga.ts mean rate of flow is 6 square metres (65 sq ft) per second, and its catchment area receives an average rainfall of 5,080 millimetres (200 in) annually. Water from the falls is used for paddy cultivation. Bopath Ella is also the most comprehensively studied waterfall in the country.
Ruwanwelimahasaya
The Ruwanwelisaya is astupa in Sri Lanka, considered a marvel for its architectural qualities and sacred to many Buddhists all over the world. It was built by King Dutugamunu, who became lord of all Sri Lanka after a war in which theChola King Elara, was defeated. It is also known as Mahathupa, Swarnamali Chaitya and Rathnamali Dagaba.
The stupa is also one of theSolosmasthana (the 16 places of veneration) and the Atamasthana (the 8 places of veneration in the ancient sacred city ofAnuradhapra. The stupa is one of the world's tallest monuments, standing at 300 ft (92 m) and with a circumference of 950 ft.
Gal Viharaya Polonnaruwa
The Gal Vihara a Polonnaruwa represents the pinnacle of Sinhalese rock carving. The four great Buddha statues herein with the serene facial expressions & liquid flow of the robes, all carved from the same massive slab of granite, originally formed part of King Parakrambahu's northern monastery complex. As the sockets cut into rock behind the statues indicate, each statue would originally have been housed in its own enclosure.
The great reclining image of the Buddha entering nirvana is 14m long. A huge but supremely graceful figure is carved in a serene posture. The face, delicately flecked with variations in the natural colour of the rock is especially beautiful. The unknown sculptor has carved the great statue with such tenderness even the bolster like pillow carry a subtle depression under the head & sun-wheel symbol on the pillow end. Buddha's parnirvana (final extinction, rather than death) is indicated in part, by means of the higher foot which is slightly withdrawn: the pain caused by the last breath. This Buddha statue is of such beauty that it inspired hundreds of years of Sinhalese art, but was never matched.
Sigiriya
Sri Lankan architectural tradition is well displayed at Sigiriya, the best preserved city centre in Asia from the first millennium, with its combination of buildings and gardens with their trees, pathways, water gardens, the fusion of symmetrical and asymmetrical elements, use of varying levels and of axial and radial planning.
The Complex consists of the central rock, rising 200 meters above the surrounding plain, and the two rectangular precincts on the east (90 hectares) and the west (40 hectares), surrounded by two moats and three ramparts.
