Again a relatively late rise at 7.30, (this time thanks to the plentiful Arac and coke I slept through to 6.30) and breakfast at 8.00, we hopped on board the coach to take the 1.5 hour journey to see the temples and caves at Dambulla.

Dambulla cave temple (Sinhala: දඹුලු ලෙන් විහාරය dam̆būlū len vihāraya, Tamil: தம்புள்ளை பொற்கோவில் tampuḷḷai poṟkōvil) also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla is a World Heritage Site situated in the central part of the country. It 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 5 caves, which contain statues and Paintings. These paintings and statues are related to Lord Buddha and his life. There total of 153 Buddha statues, 3 statues of Sri Lankan kings and 4 statues of gods and goddesses. The latter include two statues of Hindu gods, the god Vishnu and the god Ganesh. The murals cover an area of 2,100 square meters. Depictions on the walls of the caves include the temptation by the demon Mara and Buddha's first sermon.

The walk up to the temple is fairly steep, but the view from the top is well worth the climb, and the change in temperature when one enters the caves is a welcome change from the heat of the day outside.