Sigiriya and Dambulla Day Tour | From Kandy

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Your private Sri Lankan history adventure begins at 6.00 am when your friendly local guide will pick you up from your hotel in Colombo. Sigiriya lion rock is located in the central Matale District near town of Dambulla of the Central Province, Sri Lanka. The name refers to a site of historical and archeaological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 metres (660 ft) high. According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Culavamsa the site was selected by King Kasyapa (477 – 495 CE) for his new capital. He built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure —Sīhāgiri, the Lion Rock. The capital and the royal palace were abandoned after the king's death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century. Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site. It is one of the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning. It is the most visited historic site in Sri Lanka. Sigiriya consists of an ancient citadel built by King Kashyapa during the 5th century. The Sigiriya site contains the ruins of an upper palace located on the flat top of the rock, a mid-level terrace that includes the Lion Gate and the mirror wall with its frescoes, the lower palaces located behind the lavish lower gardens, and moats and ramparts which protected the citadel. The site was both a palace and a fortress. The upper palace on the top of the rock includes cisterns cut into the rock that still retain water. The moats and walls that surround the lower palace are still exquisitely beautiful.

   3 h

2. It is the largest and best preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock towers 160 m (520 ft) over the surrounding plains.There are more than 80 documented caves in the surrounding. Major attractions are spread over 5 caves, which contain statues and paintings. This paintings and statues are related to Lord Buddha and his life. There are a total of 153 Buddha statues, 3 statues of Sri Lankan kings and 4 statues of god and goddess. The latter 4 include two statues of Hindu gods, Vishnu and Ganesh. The murals cover an area of 2,100 m². Depictions in the walls of the caves include Buddha's temptation by demon Mara and Buddha's first sermon. The area is thought to be inhabited from as early as the 7th to 3rd century BC. Statues and paintings in these caves date back to the 1st century BC. But the paintings and statues were repaired and repainted in the 11th, 12th, and 18th century AD. The caves in the city provided refuge to King Valagamba (also called Vattagamini Abhaya) in his 14-year-long exile from the Anuradapura kingdom. Buddhist monks meditating in the caves of Dambulla at that time provided the exiled king protection from his enemies. When King Valagamba returned to the throne at Anuradapura kingdom in the 1st century BC, he had a magnificent rock temple built at Dambulla in gratitude to the monks in Dambulla. Leave Dambulla in the early evening and begin the drive back to Colombo, where your chauffeur guide will drop you off at your hotel.

   2 h

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 21 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Kandy

• Its from-price is 15% above the median of the 767 experiences we list in Kandy.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 78 of 767.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Kandy

Kandy is the hill-country city of Sri Lanka, home to the Temple of the Tooth, a tree-fringed lake and a botanical garden among tea-covered hills.

Kandy was the last capital of the Sinhalese kings until the British took it in 1815. It stands around an artificial lake, about 500 metres above sea level, in the Central Highlands. The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, a UNESCO site, holds a relic said to be a tooth of the Buddha, and pilgrims bring lotus flowers each day. Drummers and dancers perform at the shrine's rituals.

Top-ranked sights in Kandy: Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), Alagalla Mountain Range.

See all 767 experiences in Kandy