The Rock Temple of
Dambulla, called Jumbukola Vihara (Dambulla Cave Temple) in the (Mahavamsa)-the principal Pali Chronicle of Sri Lanka, is situated about forty seven miles north west of Kandy, the last capital of the Sinhalese kings, on the main road to Anuradhupura.
The shortest way, from Colombo to
Dambulla lies via Kurunegala,
one of the capitals of the medieval Sinhalese kings. The other rock
temple of equal fame, Aluvihare, where, according to tradition, the
Buddhist scriptures were first committed to writing about The first
century B.C., list about twenty-six miles to the south on the Kandy
Dambulla road. And the famous fortress of Sigiriya with its beautiful
frescoes rises aloft like a gigantic cylinder at a distance of about
twelve miles to the north-east of Dambulla. Dambulla is a scent of
unique interest. Its rock temples are the most extensive in the Island,
and one of the most ancient, and in the highest state of preservation
and order.Dambulu – gala (the rock of Dambulla), in which these temples
are situated, is almost insulated and of a vast size. Its perpendicular
height above the plain is about six hundred feet. Very few parts of it
are covered with wood, and in general its surface is bare and black.
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| Dambulla Cave Temple |
Historical
The caves of
Dambulla, like the Mihintale caves,
were occupied in very early times by Budd¬hist hermits. The antiquity of
this place has been authenticated by the presence of pre-Christian
inscriptions in Brahmi character immediately below the drip-ledge of the
central cave. One of these inscriptions records: “Damarakita teraha
lene agata anagata catu disa sagas dine. Gamani abaya rajiyahi karite”
(The cave of the Elder Dlmamma-rakkita, given to the Community of the
four quarters, present or future. In the reign of Gamani Adhaya.) The
shape of the letters of all the short inscriptions in Brahmi form at
Dambulla is distinctly those of the first century B. C, At that time
there was only one king known as Abhaya, also known as Vattagamani
Abhaya (89-77B. C.). this leaves no doubt that the king Abhaya referred
to in the above quoted inscription Vattagamani Abhaya. Dambulla became a
popular place of residence of Buddhist monks at least from the reign of
this king. Vattagamani Abhaya is one of the few kings of ancient Sri Lanka
whose name and fame are not dependent on the written records. To him
are credited by the common people of the country tile numerous caves
with drip-ledges which were abodes of Buddhist monks in ancient days. As
we have seen, one or two of these caves like Dambulla do, in fact, bear
inscriptions with the royal name which is attributed to him.
According to tradition Vattagamani Abhaya, who fled from his kingdom, Anuradhapura, when it was invaded by south Indians, was helped by the monks residing in caves like
Dambulla.
The Mahavamsa records that the Buddhist scriptures were first committed
to writing by Buddhist monks at Aluvihara in the reign of this king.
This can be taken as substantial evidence to show that great caves like
Dambulla and Aluvihare in the central part of the Island were residing
places of Buddhist monks during this early period and were also
patronized by the kings of Anuradhapura.
Tradition also has it that the five seated Buddha images including the principal one in Cave. No 4 of
Dambulla
temple were made of natural rock in the reign of Vattagamani Abhaya. It
is also believed that some of the images in Cave No. 2 and the
principal images in cave No. 1 were made during the reign of this king.
As no Buddha images found in Sri Lanka can be ascribed to the period
before the first century A.C., no credence can be attached to this
tradition. But this does not bar the possibility that at least some of
the images in these caves were made during the later Anuradhapura
period, i.e. during and after the eighth century A.C. Unfortunately
these cannot be identified because of the repairs and renovations,
undertaken, in succeeding periods.
The successor of Vattagamani, Mahaculi Maha Tissa, following his
uncle, spent much of his time on religious activities. One short
Inscription of
Dambulla refers to a king called Gemini Tissa who may be identified as Mahaculi Maha Tissa.
The historical records of the Island remain silent on
Dambulla
until the 11th century A.D.The Culavamsa (pt. ll of the great
Chronicle) records that Vijayabahu, (1070-I110 4. C.) who liberated the
country from the Cola occupation which ruled most of the northern parts
of the country for about, half a century (1017-1070), restored and
granted villages to this temple and its caves. It is apparent that by
this time Dambulla had become a popular centre of Buddhist worship.
The next king to patronize
Dambulla was
Nissankamalla, who undertook regular tours all over the country,
repeatedly mentioned in his various inscriptions. The king, being a
foreigner, probably wanted his presence felt throughout Island, and also
wished to win popular support by distributing alms during these tours.
The king, seems to have been interested in visiting prominent places
like Dambulla. Kelaniya and Anuradhapura
during these, visits, and he left lithic record, at these places.
According to the chronicle, Nissankamalla’s fourth tour (probably the
last) was to Dambulla, where he spent lavishly on the cave temple and
set up, seventy-there gilded statues of the Baddha. The inscription
engraved by this king on the rock between No. I and gateway gives an
account of himself and his pious acts. In The last two lines of the
record we find the statement that he, caused the reclining, sitting, and
standing statues (of the Buddha) in the cave of Dambulla to be gilt,
celebrated a great puja at a cost of seven lacs of money, and gave (the
cave) the name suvarnagiri – guha ‘the golden rock cave.’ It is clear
that from this time onwards Dambulla (Jambukola-Vihara) come to be known
as Suvarnagiriguha or Rangiri Dambulla.
Although it remained a famous religious centre,
Dambulla
does not seem to have received the attention of Sinhalese kings after
the downfall of the Polonnaruva kingdom at the end of the twelfth
century A. D. until the came into the political scene of the country in
the seventeenth century. The most important factor which profoundly
affected every aspect of the history of Sri Lanka during this period was
the gradual decline and depopulation of the northern and southeastern
regions of the Island, and shifting of population centers and kingdoms.
As a result, ancient religious centers like Dambulla were relegated to
the back-ground.
Dambulla again came into prominence as a religious
centre in the XVIII the century. In the Dambulu Vihara Tudaputa (a
palm-left manuscript) of A. D. 1726, it is stated that king Senaratna
(Senarat) (1604-1635 A. C.) of Kandy restored and repaired the temple.
The document adds, “At the completion of the repairs, which took three
years, the king, on the festival of painting of the eyes of the images
of the Buddha, proceeded to the temple accompanied by the three queens
and three princes. After the festival was over, the king stood on the
semicircular stepstone of Maharaja Viharaya (cave No. 2) and called on
the monks there assembled to nominate a person fit to be appointed
incumbent of this temple, sixty-five images of which including the one
in residing posture, had been painted and finished.” The last great
royal benefactor of the temple was King Kirti Sri Rajasinha (1747-1782
A. C.) under whose patronage Buddhism revived in the Kandyan provinces.
Cave No. 3, then used as a store room, was further excavated on the
order of this king, and turned into another shrine roost. At the right
of the entrance to this cave, there is well executed figure of this
king, in his robes of state, which very much resemble those worn by the
kings of the Nayakkar dynasty of Kandy.
Dambulla Rock Temple
The temples, which give this place celebrity, are parts of a vast cavern
in the west side of the rock, at the height of about three hundred and
fifty feet above the plain. Whet het the cavern in which these temples
are formed, is altogether natural, or only partly natural, or only
partly natural and partly artificial, it is now not easy to determine.
The probability is, that it is principally natural, and that man has had
very little to do in excavating it. The tradition has it that some of
the caves were excavated by king Vattagamani Abhaya in the first century
B. C. It can be surmised that this king and his successors, in
benefaction to this place had to enlarge and smoothen the caves, and cut
the drip-ledge (katarama) along the rock to protect the caves from rain
water.
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| Dambulla Rock Temple |
The Caves and Paintings of Dambulla (General)
There are five caves (shrine rooms) in
Dambulla
temple. All of these caves arc full of statues of Buddha and various
personages of the Buddhist Order or History. There are 150 Buddha images
in these caves. Cave No. 5 (the last in order) has no historical value
as it was done in the second decade of this century. All of the other
caves contain statues and paintings representing various epochs of
Sinhalese sculpture and painting.The early paintings of Dambulla are
believed by some to belong to the 8th century A. C. But this cannot be
proved at all because of over painting. Nevertheless this place is a
mine of decorative designs, the patterns of which resemble those of
Sigiriya. To a student of the history of Buddhism a careful study of the
paintings of Dambulla provides a good deal of source material.
It is generally accepted that the classical school of Sinhalese
painting ceased to exist after the fall of the Polonnaruve kingdom at
the end of the twelfth century. There are no extant examples of this
style after the 13th century. It is from the 17th and 18th centuries
that we have, once again, examples of the work of a school of indigenous
painters.
This new school does not seem to have had its roots in the artistic
traditions which created the masterpieces of Sigiriya and Polonnaruva.
Its style is purely two dimensional; in compositions it does not
exhibit the skill of the masters of earlier epochs. In its conventions,
particularly in the decorative designs and in the representation of
trees and creepers, it does not seem to have any connection with the
earlier art of the Island.
This School seems to have been influenced by the Schools of painting
which flourished in the Deccan (Southern India) under the patronage of
Muslim rulers.The frescoes which adorn the cave of
Dambulla
represent this new school of Sinhalese painting, Inside the cases of
this temple the whole surface of the rock is completely covered with
paintings, The earliest phase is believed to be on Cave No. 2, and these
consist of decorative designs as surmised above, it is not possible to
identify any one of these as actually belonging to a very much earlier
period. Nevertheless, the designs themselves show close affinity to
Sigiriya ceiling ornamentation. There may have been old painting at this
place but perhaps these are lost or have been painted over later. It
can be surmised that the designs of the decorative patterns, embody
ancient ideas and may even be considered as continuing tradition of the
designs at Sigiriya. But as the Dambullu Tudapata referred to above
clearly reveals cave No. 1, 2 and 4 of Dambulla were painted by the
Kandyan artists of the seventeenth century by the order of king Senarat
(1604-1635 A.C). In the reign of Kirti Sri Rajasinha, the paintings of
Dambulla were renovated and over painted again. Paintings in Cave No. 4
clearly represent the new school of Sinhalese painting which flourished
in the Kandyan provinces after the 17th century.
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| Cave Painting |
Cave No. 1 (Deva Raja Viharaya)
The visitor to the Temple of Dambulla through the
gateway first comes across Cave No. l, called Dev-Raja-viharaya (temple
of the King of Gods). It is believed that this cave is so called,
because the god Sakka (King of Gods) gave the finishing touches to the
principal image of this cave. This image, depicting the parinibbana (the
last moment) of the Buddha in the typical style is about forty seven
feet in length. It is carved almost in the round from the natural rock
to which it still remains joined all along from behind, and is well
preserved. The face is wooden in appearance, shapeless and dull. The
usual long robe covers the body up to the ankle leaving the right
shoulder and breast bare. The shape of the face is round and not
artistically sculptured. The eyes are merely cut, the forehead is narrow
and the ear is unshapely. The hair is schematically shown by a series
of dots. The fine textured robe is depicted in a series of closely
grooved ribs which are arranged close together in twos. The rest of the
body is well executed in shapely proportions except for the stiffness of
the feet and right leg.
The cave contains, another five images of which the standing one at the
southern end of the. Room is supposed to be that of Arhat Ananda, the
immediate disciple of Buddha, weeping at the death of his master.
At the northern corner of the cave, opposite the face of the principal
image, there is a statue, of Visnu, (some scholars believe that this is
of Upulvan, one of the four guardian deities of Sri Lanka), which is a
well executed.
The room containing this is always closed to the public for reasons unknown.
Although there are wall and ceiling paintings in this cave, these can
hardly be seen as a result of damage done by the incense burnt by
devotees.
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| Cave 1 (Deva raja maha viharaya) |
Cave No. 2 (Maha Raja Viharaya)
The next cave into which the visitor centers is by far the largest
and the most impressive one amongst the cares in this place. The portal
by which one enters is in front; is a Iofty archway, guarded on each
side by figures of stone; intended to represent Danitors. This cave is
called Maha Raja Viltaraya (the temple of the Great King), because.
According to the common belief, its founder was king Vattagamani Abhaya,
who personally assisted in its formation.
The cave is painted all over in brilliant colors, and every part is
in good repair. It is one hundred and seventy-two feet in length,
seventy-five in breadth, and twenty-one feet in height near the. Front
wall. The height from this place gradually decreases in an arc towards
the floor on the interior side. This cave contains fifty-there images.
The majority of the statues are of Buddha in different attitudes. Many
of them are larger, but none much smaller than life.
The visitor who enters by the door at the northern corner of this
cave first comes across a figure of the standing Buddha under a neatly
executed Makata Torana, both sculptured out of natural rock. This is the
principal images of the shrine room. This image is in Abhaya Mudra. The
figure is beautiful sculptured will sturdy features and massive limbs.
No attempt has been made by the artist to portray physical details in
true proportion. The flowing folds of the Robe are shown by grooves. The
right shoulder and arm are bare. The folds are gathered at the left
shoulder. The head is covered with a series of lump planted regularly
with a crest surmounting all of them. Eyes of the images are carver out
with lids shown open. The lips are thick. So is the nose. There is a
stiffness of the limbs, and a wooden rigidity of the body. The image is
standing on a stone lotus pedestal circular in shape. This lotus is
neither well carved nor elaborate.
To the right and left of this there are two standing figures
respectively of two deities Natha and Maitreya, who, according to
Buddhist belief, would become Buddhas in future.
At the right of the entrance is a handsome stupas, about eighteen
feet high, the broad circular pedestal of which is ornamented with four
figures of Buddha, each facing a different quarter, each seated on the
coil of a Cobra de Caspello, and shaded by its expanded hood.
The rest of the Buddha images in this cave are arranged in a row at a
little distance from the sides and inner walk of tile room, but not
grouped. None is placed near the outer wall, except the one in recumbent
pasture, which is quite new. At the northern end of the cave figures
are arranged in a double row.
Towards the eastern end of the shrine room there is a perpetual dripping
of water that filters through the roof from hollows on the top of the
rock, which are supplied by rain. The drops of water are caught in a
vessel placed in a small square enclosure sunk in the floor and used
exclusively for sacred purposes.
The whole of the interior of this cave, whether rock or wall, is
painted with brilliant colors of which yellow predominates. The ceiling
nearest the entrance is used mostly to depict the life of the Buddha,
before and after his Enlightenment. In this part the artist has also
attempted to paint the earlier births of the Buddha. A visitor to the
shrine room may want to have a description of at least some of the
paintings. The principal paintings of this part are:
1.Prince Siddhartha, the Buddha-to-be, going out of his palace to exhibit his skills in arms.
2.Prince Siddhartha, exhibiting his skill in archery.
3.Prince Siddhartha, leaving home, in quest of Truth.
4.Monsters in the army of Mara, the evil one, attacking the Buddha.
5.Mara, the evil one, being thrown from his elephant after being vanquished by the Buddha.
At the eastern extremity of this cave there is a little recess behind
the row of Buddha statues, formed by a huge projecting rock, the walls
of which are covered with painting. At the entrance to this recess,
there is a standing statue of a king, identified as Nissankamalla who
undertook extensive repairs to the temple. This part of the cave seems
to have been used by the artist to illustrate the history of the Island.
The frescoes, of this part begin with the earliest and most fabulous
period of the history of the country. Among these frescoes, the exploits
or Vijaya, the first historical ruler of the country, who is said to
have come from India, are conspicuous and cover a great space. The
artist seems to have been interested in illustrating the voyage of this
hero, which is represented by a boat surrounded by sea-monsters.
The next work of interest is the dedication of the island to the
Buddha after the arrival of the Bo-tree and the sacred relics. This is
figured by king Devanampiyatissa (250 210 B. C), who ruled the country
on the eve of the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka, guiding a
plough drawn by a pair of Elephants, attended by monks headed by Arhat Mahinda who introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka.
Another painting here represents the building of the great cetiyas and other important religious buildings at Anuradhapura.
The most successful of the historical paintings in this part is the
one which represents the single combat between Duttha Gamani, The
greatest hero of the Sinhalese and Elara, the Indian usurper who ruled
the northern part of the country for 44 years. The drawing of this
picture is by no means deficient in spirit, and is considerably more
correct in the proportions than any other of the historical
compartments. The Indian king is represented as falling from his
elephant, transfixed by the javelin of his enemy.
At the northern corner of the recess there are two standing statues
carved out of wood. The common belief is that these figures represent
deities. One is now identified in Sri Lanka with Visnu, the famous Hindu
god, and images of this from, of Visnu are seen side by side with those
of the Buddha in a large number of temples in the Island. The other,
namely Sumana (or Saman) is supposed to be one of the four guardian
deities of the country. According to The Great Chronicle, The
Sanrantakuta, i. e, Adam’s Peak, where the Buddha was supposed to have
left his footprint, is thus called because the Peak was regarded as the
abode of devaraja (king of god’s) called Sumana. Both of these figures
are well executed and painted, but are now in a decaying condition.
At the northern corner of the cave there are four Buddha images in
sitting posture, facing the main hall. These figures are supposed to be
those of Kakusanda, Konagama and Kassapa, the predecessors of Go tama,
The Buddha, who is represented by the last statue.
To the right of the northern entrance to this cave, there is a figure
in standing attitude facing the principal image of tile shrine room,
which is supposed to represent king Vattagamani Abhaya, the earliest
benefactor of
Dambulla. This is the crudest figure in every respect. And its dress is the simplest and least ornamented.
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| Cave 2 (Maha raja viharaya) |
Cave No. 3 (Maha Alut Viharaya)
This Cave, called Maha Alut Viharaya (The
Great New Temple), is separated from Cave No.2 by a wall of masonry.
This is said to have been used as a store room before the eighteenth
century.
The principal entrance to this cave, which is second in size only to
cave No.2, is by a door. This was mode a shrine room by Kirti Sri
Rajasinha, who reformed the Buddhist Church in the eighteenth century.
Most of the new paintings and renovations of the Temple are attributed
to this last great benefactor of Dambulla. At the left
of the entrance to this cave, there is a well executed figure of this
king, in his robes of state, which resemble those worn by the kings of
the Nayakkar dynasty, who ruled the country until the British occupation
in 1815.
The cave is about ninety feet long, eighty-one wide, and is shelving
rock whose height is about thirty-six feet. The immense surface of rock
of this cave is also painted of the richest colors. These frescoes
depict various and numerous events of Buddhists, some representing the
life of the Enlightened One, and score the history of Buddhism. The
artistic tradition of this cave is that of the Kandyan period.
This cave contains fifty figures of the Buddha.
The principal image, facing the entrance, is a standing one under a
torana. The images and the torana are carved out of the natural rock.
One statue of Buddha in this cave in the recumbent posture, its head
on a pillow, resting on its right hand, is quite similar to that in Cave
No. 1. This is about thirty feet long and well proportioned, the face
is handsome, and its expression of countenance remarkably peaceful and
benignant. Seven other statues of Buddha, in the standing attitude, are
about ten feet high, and all the rest are life-size or a little smaller.
Most of them are colored bright yellow; three have red robes. To a
student of Kandyan art and sculpture this cave is, no doubt, a mine of
raw material.
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| Cave 3 (Maha Aluth Viharaya) |
Cave No. 4 (Paschima Viharaya)
This cave is called the Paschima Viharaya
or the Western Temple. It is about fifty four feet long and twenty-seven
wide; and its shelving roof, which dips rapidly inwards, is about
twenty-seven feet high.
This cave contains ten figures of the Buddha. The principal image
which is under a torana, is of the same size as the other statues. This
is a very beautiful figure of the Buddha seated in the dhyana mudra
(posture of meditation) hewn of the natural rock that forms the cave
itself. The image is in a fine state of preservation and painted in
brilliant colors in the Kandyan period. The features of the image are
clearly discernible. The ears arc long with pierced lobes. The nose,
eyes and lips are well executed, the forehead is somewhat receding. A
loosely flowing robe covers the body from shoulder to feet leaving the
right shoulder bare. The method of treating the robe is the groove
technique. Three grooves mark the neck.
The robes are shown well draped and with loose folds. The hair on the
head is treated with dots in rows, rising to a bun shaped lump on the
summit.The other images are in a row starting from the right and the
left of the principal image.
These figures are well executed and brilliantly painted, and most of
them are large as or larger than life-size. There is a neat stupa
(cetiya) called Soma Cetiya at the middle of the cave. The roof and
sides of the rock and the front wall are painted of the brightest
colors, and decorated with a number of figures, chiefly of Buddha.
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| Cave 4 (Paschima Viharaya) |
