Dambulla
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Dambulla දඹුල්ල தம்புள்ளை | |
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Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone ) |
Dambulla (Sinhala: දඹුල්ල Dam̆bulla, Tamil: தம்புள்ளை Tampuḷḷai) is a town situated in the north of Matale District, in Sri Lanka's Central Province. It is the second largest populated and urbanised centre after Matale in the Matale District. It is situated 148 km (92 mi) north-east of Colombo, 43 km (27 mi) north of Matale and 72 km (45 mi) north of Kandy. Due to its location at a major junction, it is the centre of major vegetable distribution in the country.
Major attractions of the area include the largest and best preserved
.Ibbankatuwa prehistoric burial site near Dambulla cave temple complexes is the latest archaeological site of significant historical importance found in Dambulla, which is located within 3 km (1.9 mi) of the cave temples providing evidence of the presence of indigenous civilisations long before the arrival of Indian influence on the Island nation.
History
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
At the Ibbankatuwa Prehistoric burial site near Dhambulla, prehistoric (2700 years old) human skeletons were found on scientific analysis to give evidence of civilisations in this area long before the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Evidence of ancient people living on agriculture have been detected in this area for over 2700 years according to archaeological findings. (750 BC)
It was earlier known as Dhamballai and was ruled by Kings like
Dambulla Cave Temple
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
Demographics
Ethnicity in Dambulla town (2012)
Dambulla is a Sinhalese majority town, there is also sizable Muslim minority with a small Sri Lankan Tamil community. Others include Indian Tamils, Malays, Bharatha, Sri Lankan Chetties and Burgher.
Source:statistics.gov.lk
Time line
- 7th to 3rd century BC: early inhabitants
- 1st century BC: paintings and statues
- 5th century AD: the stupa was built
- 12th century AD: addition of the statues of Hindu gods
- 18th century AD: most of what is seen nowadays
- 19th century AD: an additional cave and some repainting
- 20th century AD: UNESCO restoration and lighting ...
Sports
The international cricket venue Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium is located here in a scenic area.
See also
- Place names in Sri Lanka
References
https://www.citypopulation.de/en/srilanka/cities/?cityid=34069
https://www.citypopulation.de/en/srilanka/admin/matale/2206__dambulla/