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31-552: King Nissankamalla's (1187-1196 A.D.) Dambulla Vihara rock inscription is considered the oldest document that mentions the name Devi-nuwara which means the "City of Gods". The Pali form of the name, Deva-nagara appears for the first time in the Mahavamsa with reference to the reign of King Vijayabahu I (1058-1114 A.D.). The name Dondra is the anglicized form of the Sinhalese name Devi-nuwara or Devundara. According to some,

62-561: A major religious centre and still are. Nissanka Malla of Polonnaruwa gilded the caves and added about 70 Buddha statues in 1190. During the 18th century, the caves were restored and painted by the Kingdom of Kandy . The temple is composed of five caves of varying sizes and magnificence. The caves, built at the base of a 150m high rock during the Anuradhapura (1st century BC to 993 AD) and Polonnaruwa times (1073 to 1250), are by far

93-470: A thousand statues of the various sects of Hinduism and Buddhism. Dating from the period of Dappula I , it was maintained primarily by Sinhalese kings and merchant guilds at the port town during its time as a popular pilgrimage destination and famed emporium , having extensive contacts with Asia, Africa, Europe and the Malabar Coast . The temple was built on vaulted arches on the promontory overlooking

124-465: A total of 153 Buddha statues, three statues of Sri Lankan kings and four statues of gods and goddesses . The latter include Vishnu and the Ganesha . The murals cover an area of 2,100 square metres (23,000 sq ft). Depictions on the walls of the caves include the temptation by the demon Mara , and Buddha's first sermon . Prehistoric Sri Lankans would have lived in these cave complexes before

155-590: Is 7m tall at its highest point. Hindu deities are also represented here, as are the kings Valagamba and Nissankamalla , and Ananda - the Buddha's most devoted disciple. The first cave is called Devaraja lena (lena in Sinhalese meaning cave), or "Cave of the Divine King." An account of the founding of the monastery is recorded in a 1st-century Brahmi inscription over the entrance to the first cave. This cave

186-602: Is a major city in Central Province , Sri Lanka . It is the administrative capital and largest urbanised city of Matale District . Matale is also the second largest urbanised and populated city in Central Province. It is located at the heart of the Central Highlands of the island and lies in a broad, green fertile valley at an elevation of 364 m (1,194 ft) above sea level. Surrounding

217-479: Is become as Matale. There are number of folktales about the name of Matale. Mahathala has been used for large valley area. It gradually converted as Matale. The Aluvihare Rock Temple that is situated on north side of the city's suburb, Aluvihare . The historic location where the Pali Canon was written down completely in text on ola (palm) leaves in 29 BCE. Matale was the site of a major battle in 1848 when

248-433: Is dominated by the 14-meter statue of the Buddha, hewn out of the rock. It has been repainted countless times in the course of its history, and probably received its last coat of paint in the 20th century. At his feet is Buddha's favourite pupil, Ananda; at his head, Vishnu , said to have used his divine powers to create the caves. In the second and largest cave, in addition to 16 standing and 40 seated statues of Buddha, are

279-476: Is famous for its spice gardens. In addition to agriculture, the main economic activities include tourism , business and trade . Population growth, urban expansion and economic development in Matale have created regulatory and management challenges. Matale Municipal Council Area (MMCA) Matale is home to some of the island's oldest and leading colleges and schools. According by the statistics of 2019, 8.2% of

310-543: Is writing the thripitaka which was held during the reign of king Walagamba in 89–77 BC in Aluvihare , Therefore, this is permanent evidence for human settlements in Matale before centuries of years. There are folklores receipt of the name "Matale". It is mentioned that "Mahatala" become as Matale because it is placed in a valley and also the King Gajaba invaded "Soli Rata" and brought and settled 12,000 peoples in here it

341-677: The Dondra Fair and Perahara is held for eight days. Dondra was once the capital of the Sri Lanka. Dambulla cave temple Dambulla cave temple ( Sinhala : දඹුල්ල රජ මහා විහාරය , romanized:  Dam̆būlla Raja Maha Vihāraya ; Tamil : தம்புள்ளை பொற்கோவில் , romanized:  Tampuḷḷai Poṟkōvil ), also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla , is a World Heritage Site (1991) in Sri Lanka , situated in

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372-730: The Matale Rebellion started and the British garrison in the Fort MacDowall in Matale was placed under siege by the rebels led by Weera Puran Appu and Gongalegoda Banda . The city is also the birthplace of Monarawila Keppetipola, a rebel who led the Wellasa rebellion against the British troops . His ancestral home, Kappetipola walawuwa, still exists at Hulangamuwa, Matale. The city is surrounded by large plantations and

403-660: The Dambulla Temple Complex (mainly since 1982) have focussed on maintaining the integrity of the existing complex which has remained unaltered since the reconstruction of the temple veranda in the 1930s. This strategy was agreed upon during a collaborative project between UNESCO , The Cultural Triangle Project of Sri Lanka and the Temple Authorities of Dambulla which ran from 1982-1996. As the Dambulla Temple remains an active ritual centre,

434-512: The Indian ocean. Patronized by various Sinhalese and Tamil royal dynasties and pilgrims, Tenavaram temple became one of the most important places of worship. Built to the Chera style of classical Dravidian architecture , it covered a vast area housing shrines to many Hindu deities including Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu . Its rediscovered statue images and ruins from the 5th-7th century CE reflect

465-478: The arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka as there are burial sites with human skeletons about 2700 years old in this area, at Ibbankatuwa near the Dambulla cave complexes. This temple complex dates back to the first century BCE. It has five caves under a vast overhanging rock, carved with a drip line to keep the interiors dry. In 1938 the architecture was embellished with arched colonnades and gabled entrances. Inside

496-482: The caves, the ceilings are painted with intricate patterns of religious images following the contours of the rock. There are images of the Lord Buddha and bodhisattvas , as well as various gods and goddesses. The Dambulla cave monastery is still functional and remains the best-preserved ancient edifice in Sri Lanka. This complex dates from the third and second centuries BC, when it was already established as one of

527-558: The central part of the country. This site is situated 148 kilometres (92 mi) east of Colombo , 72 kilometres (45 mi) north of Kandy and 43 kilometres (27 mi) north of Matale . Dambulla is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock towers 160 m over the surrounding plains. There are more than 80 documented caves in the surrounding area. Major attractions are spread over five caves, which contain statues and paintings. These paintings and statues are related to Gautama Buddha and his life. There are

558-633: The city are the Knuckles Mountain Range , the foothills were called Wiltshire by the British. They have also called this place as Matelle. Matale is the only district of Sri Lanka, where an ancient book of written history is found. It is known as Pannagamam – பன்னாகமம் ("Five Headed Serpent" in English) of Goddess Muthumari in Sri Muthumariamman Temple . The most important historical incident in Matale

589-472: The conservation plans of the 1982-1996 project were directed at improving the infrastructure and accessibility of the site in accordance with its UNESCO World Heritage status. This involved the renovation of hand-cut paving within the complex and the installation of modern lighting. Further investment in the Temple's infrastructure has seen the construction of a museum and other tourist facilities located away from

620-602: The demon Mara . Further pictures relate important events from the country's history. The third cave, the Maha Alut Vihara , the "Great New Monastery" acquired ceiling and wall paintings in the typical Kandy style during the reign of King Kirti Sri Rajasinha (1747–1782), the famous Buddhist revivalist. In addition to the 50 Buddha statues, there is also a statue of the king. The shrine rooms are representative of many epochs of Sinhala sculpture and Sinhala art . The Buddha statues are in varying sizes and attitudes -

651-496: The gods Saman and Vishnu, which pilgrims often decorate with garlands, and finally, statues of King Vattagamani Abhaya , who honoured the monastery in the 1st century BC., and King Nissanka Malla , responsible in the 12th century for the gilding of 50 statues, as indicated by a stone inscription near the monastery entrance. This cave is accordingly called Maharaja lena , "Cave of the Great Kings." The Buddha statue hewn out of

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682-553: The high points of Pallava art . The central gopuram tower of the Vimana and the other gopura towers that dominated the town were covered with plates of gilded brass, gold and copper on their roofs, and the many shrines of the town were bordered with elaborate arches and gates, giving the entire temple complex an appearance of a city to sailors who visited the port to trade and relied on its light reflecting gopura roofs for navigational purposes. Chroniclers, travellers and benefactors of

713-428: The historical complex. More recent inspections by UNESCO in 2003 have proposed an expansion to the existing protected zone around the complex in order to minimise damage to surrounding archaeological features. The conservation project undertaken between 1982 and 1996 focussed mainly on the preservation of the eighteenth-century mural schemes which represent around 80% of the total surviving paintings at Dambulla. By

744-461: The largest and most important monasteries. Valagamba of Anuradhapura is traditionally thought to have converted the caves into a temple in the first century BC. Exiled from Anuradhapura , he sought refuge here from South Indian usurpers for 15 years. After reclaiming his capital, the King built a temple in thankful worship. Many other kings added to it later and by the 11th century, the caves had become

775-454: The largest is 15 meters long. One cave has over 1,500 paintings of Buddha covering the ceiling. Conservation at the Dambulla Temple Complex has primarily concentrated on the preservation of its mural schemes. Senake Bandaranayake reports that the schemes were cleaned during an initial conservation project during the 1960s which involved the cleaning of the murals and the application of a protective coating. Subsequent conservation strategies at

806-574: The late 1990s, the majority of these schemes remained in excellent condition, with the schemes of the larger shrines (Vihara 3 and Vihara 2) still retaining most of their eighteenth-century features. Cleaning was not undertaken during the 1982-1996 project which instead focussed on the implementation of a series of remedial measures to stabilise the murals as well as developing a long-term conservation strategy to minimise further human or environmental damage. Matale Matale ( Sinhala : මාතලේ, Tamil : மாத்தளை , romanized:  Māttaḷai )

837-484: The most impressive of the many cave temples found in Sri Lanka . Access is along the gentle slope of the Dambulla Rock, offering a panoramic view of the surrounding flat lands, which includes the rock fortress Sigiriya , 19 km away. Dusk brings hundreds of swooping swallows to the cave entrance. The largest cave measures about 52m from east to west, and 23m from the entrance to the back, this spectacular cave

868-457: The name Dondra is a form of Theivanthurai ( God's Port ) of Tamil origin. Historically known as Devinuwara temple port town or Devinuwara temple town, Dondra was until the late 16th century a historic temple port town complex. A multi-religious site, its primary deity was the Buddhist god Upulvan and at its zenith was one of the most celebrated religious sites of the island, containing

899-481: The rock on the left side of the room is escorted by wooden figures of the Bodhisattvas Maitreya and Avalokiteshvara or Natha . There is also a dagoba and a spring which drips its water said to have healing powers, out of a crack in the ceiling. Distinctive tempera paintings on the cave ceiling dating from the 18th century depict scenes from Buddha's life, from the dream of Mahamaya to temptation by

930-472: The shrines' mandapa can be found in the town spread over a considerable area. Much of the temple's stonework was thrown off the cliff into the sea. The temple's ancient Lingam statue and sculpture of Nandi , excavated in 1998 provide early examples of Pallava Hindu contributions to the island. The rebuilt temple to Vishnu and the Vihara still attracts pilgrims today and in the month of Esala (July–August)

961-526: The temples describe the entire town as the property of the temple and inhabited solely by merchants during the medieval period. The temple complex was visited by Ibn Battuta in the 14th century and Zheng He in the 15th century. The temple was destroyed in February 1587 by the Portuguese colonial De Sousa d'Arronches, who devastated the entire southern coast. Its ruins of granite pillars that formed

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