The rock at Dambulla rises some hundred and fifty metres above the plain in the dry heart of Sri Lanka, a great bald dome of granite, and in its upper flank five caves hold one of the most extraordinary Buddhist shrines in Asia. Tradition says King Valagamba sheltered here in the first century BC when he was driven out of Anuradhapura, and that after regaining his throne he turned the caves into a temple in gratitude. Monks had been using them long before that, and kings went on adding to them for centuries.
Inside, the ceilings and walls are covered with painted murals in reds, yellows and ochres, flowing over every curve of the rock, and the caves are filled with statues of the Buddha, well over a hundred and fifty of them, standing, seated and reclining, along with figures of gods and kings. The largest cave stretches deep into the hill, and a spring drips from its roof into a basin that is said never to run dry. It is cool, dim and hushed after the glare outside. Remove shoes and hats at the entrance and cover shoulders and knees; the rock steps are hot by midday, so bring socks.
The climb up is a steady walk on stone steps with views over the forests and tanks toward Sigiriya, the famous rock fortress fifteen kilometres to the north-east, and the Knuckles range to the east. Macaques patrol the path and will open bags. At the bottom stands the modern Golden Temple, with a very large gilded Buddha on its roof, which is hard to miss and hard to love but marks the entrance.
Dambulla is a crossroads. The A9 runs north toward Anuradhapura and Jaffna and south toward Kandy, and the A6 heads to Trincomalee and the east coast, so traffic is heavy with lorries and buses, overtaking with remarkable confidence. Early mornings are cooler and calmer. The town is home to the country's largest wholesale vegetable market, and the trucks that come and go day and night carry produce from all over the island.
Fuel, food and guesthouses are plentiful in Dambulla. Stop for rice and curry at a roadside canteen, with half a dozen vegetable curries and fresh coconut sambol, or for a king coconut from a stall to cool off after the climb. Then ride on to Sigiriya in the afternoon light, or east into the Knuckles hills, where the roads get narrower, greener and far quieter.