Dambulla Rock is a large rock outcrop in central Sri Lanka, roughly 148 kilometers east of Colombo, 72 kilometers north of Kandy and 43 kilometers north of Matale. The rock towers about 160 meters above the surrounding plains, with its cave complex situated near its base at around 150 meters, and from its summit the distant rock formation of Sigiriya is visible some 19 kilometers away. A vast overhanging section of the rock, carved with a drip line to channel rainwater away from the caves beneath it, shelters the cave temples that have made Dambulla one of Sri Lanka's most visited sites. The rock's precise composition and detailed formation history are not established from the sources consulted here, but its scale and its dry, overhanging shelter are what made it suitable for human use over many centuries.
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