History Optional (UPSC)

Forwarded from GS History and Culture

Dambulla Cave Temple

The day started with another 600 steps hillock climb. There are 5 caves with many large and small painted Buddha murtis. The cave walls are all painted.

The era to which it belongs to spans from 100 BCE (Sangama period for our rederence, or specifically, pre-Christian period) to 1700 CE (Maratha period for our reference again).

It was originally constructed by the king Walagamba. He was the king of Anuradhapura in north srilanka. But invasion from South India Tamil kings led to his flight from his capital. He went to further south in Lanka and came to this area. When he reconquered his capital in Anuradhapura, he constructed this place.

If we take our reference, the caves belong to the time when Satavahanas started excavating Ajanta and Shakas started funding Kanheri. Exactly at the time when Satavahana and Shakas were fighting to control the Roman trade in Deccan, the king Walagamba accepted Buddbism and used it to consolidate his own power in Srilanka.

What I find wonderful is that we see spread of Buddhism to Andhra coast and Sri Lanka in this period. While Tamilnadu was sandwiched by these two areas, we see least impact of Buddhism in Sangam Literature, which has much more traces of Hinduism. And all these areas were not isolated but had frequent intercourse. This to me seems like a puzzle.

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This place also a unesco world heritage site. Well protected. There is not a single foodshop in a near vicinity and the entire hill is clean. Both Sigiriya and Dambulla are some of the cleanest historic sites that I have so far seen in Indian subcontinent.

Visit for Photos:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DCVttPHyUAZ/?igsh=MXR5YmZsazMxd3Nieg==

www.tgoop.com/nikhilhistoryoptional/623

1.8K viewsNov 14 at 05:20

Dambulla Cave Temple

The day started with another 600 steps hillock climb. There are 5 caves with many large and small painted Buddha murtis. The cave walls are all painted.

The era to which it belongs to spans from 100 BCE (Sangama period for our rederence, or specifically, pre-Christian period) to 1700 CE (Maratha period for our reference again).

It was originally constructed by the king Walagamba. He was the king of Anuradhapura in north srilanka. But invasion from South India Tamil kings led to his flight from his capital. He went to further south in Lanka and came to this area. When he reconquered his capital in Anuradhapura, he constructed this place.

If we take our reference, the caves belong to the time when Satavahanas started excavating Ajanta and Shakas started funding Kanheri. Exactly at the time when Satavahana and Shakas were fighting to control the Roman trade in Deccan, the king Walagamba accepted Buddbism and used it to consolidate his own power in Srilanka.

What I find wonderful is that we see spread of Buddhism to Andhra coast and Sri Lanka in this period. While Tamilnadu was sandwiched by these two areas, we see least impact of Buddhism in Sangam Literature, which has much more traces of Hinduism. And all these areas were not isolated but had frequent intercourse. This to me seems like a puzzle.

----------------------------------

This place also a unesco world heritage site. Well protected. There is not a single foodshop in a near vicinity and the entire hill is clean. Both Sigiriya and Dambulla are some of the cleanest historic sites that I have so far seen in Indian subcontinent.

Visit for Photos:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DCVttPHyUAZ/?igsh=MXR5YmZsazMxd3Nieg==

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