Golden Temple of Dambullah

The Golden Temple of Dambulla is an impressive temple complex in Dambulla, Sri Lanka most famous for the spectacular and Dambulla Cave Temples World Heritage Site. First, let's get the logistics out of the way: the temple itself is located in the outskirts of Dambulla so to get there you should probably take a tuk-tuk from your hotel (it's a quick and cheap trip).

At the entrance, you'll see a truly bizarre museum whose entrance is the mouth of a wild-eyed face complete with teeth and everything. The museum (which we skipped) is topped by a towering golden Buddha. You can access the seated golden deity by the side steps to get a closer look and enjoy the mischievous monkeys scavenging around the fruit and flowers left as offerings.

The Dambulla rock monastery just outside the town of the same name, and is famous for the beautiful murals. It is UNESCO world heritage. The monastery is on a rock 160 meters high overlooking the prairie, and what views are the five most spectacular caves. But there are more than 80 around the main monastery, with Buddha statues and paintings. More than 150 statues in the five caves. Small Hindu temples have also been installed to honor the god Vishnu and Ganesh, the Buddhists worship too. Over 2500 years ago that the Sinhalese lived and prayed in these caves. What you see now dates from the first century BC.