Temple · Dambulla, Sri Lanka
Dambulla Cave Temple
The largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka, with 153 Buddha statues and painted murals.
Photo: Philip Nalangan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Dambulla, Sri Lanka |
|---|---|
| Type | Temple |
| Coordinates | 7.8567° N, 80.6492° E |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Dambulla Cave Temple is known for
The largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka, with 153 Buddha statues and painted murals.
About Dambulla Cave Temple
Dambulla cave temple, also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla, is a World Heritage Site (1991) in Sri Lanka, situated in the central part of the country. Dambulla is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock towers 160 m over the surrounding plains, and major attractions are spread over five caves, which contain statues and paintings related to Gautama Buddha and his life. There are a total of 153 Buddha statues, three statues of Sri Lankan kings and four statues of gods and goddesses, and the murals cover an area of 2,100 square metres.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Dambulla |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | China Bay Airport (TRR) |
| Distance from the airport | 59.6 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark's coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB) · Colombo, Sri Lanka · 70.2 miles away
- Colombo Ratmalana International Airport (RML) · Colombo, Sri Lanka · 88.6 miles away
- Jaffna International Airport (JAF) · Jaffna, Sri Lanka · 139.5 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Sri Lanka
More temples
Frequently asked questions
What is Dambulla Cave Temple?
The largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka, with 153 Buddha statues and painted murals.
Where is Dambulla Cave Temple located?
Dambulla Cave Temple is in Dambulla, Sri Lanka. Its coordinates are 7.8567° N, 80.6492° E.
How do I get to Dambulla Cave Temple?
The nearest town is Dambulla, and the nearest airport is China Bay Airport (TRR), about 59.6 miles away (straight line).
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dambulla_cave_temple — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q45690 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.