Just a few kilometres south of the market town of Dambulla is a
huge hummock 500 feet high and 1000 feet long rising above the
countryside. This location has been inhabited by monks for at
least 2000 years and was known in ancient times as Jambukola.
From about the 1st century BCE monks lived in the huge cave
under this hummock and the 70 other caves in the area. This
monastery was known as Jambukola Vihara. By perhaps the 8th or
9th century enthusiasm for the ascetic cave dwelling lifestyle
began to wane and the monks moved out of the caves into a
monastery at the foot of the hill and the large cave was given
over to ceremonial use. It was artificially enlarged and five
temples were built in it. In the 12th century King Nissankamalla
came on pilgrimage to Dambulla and ‘had the lying, sitting and
standing Buddha images in the cave gilded, celebrated a great
puja at the cost of seven hundred thousand gold pieces and
renamed the cave the 'Golden Rock Cave’. Most of the numerous
paintings at Dambulla were done i