Wednesday 11th February 2026

Golden Temple of Dambulla: Sri Muthumariamman Temple : Temple of the Tooth : Royal Botanical Gardens

Today we are travelling to Kandy which is a journey of around 70 kilometres.

We set off from the hotel at 8am, and just a few minutes later, we stopped to see the Golden Temple of Dambulla.  The temple is actually part of the Dambulla Cave Temples Site that we saw a couple of days ago. Apparently, it is possible to  hike up to the caves from this entrance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of hours later, while we were still on the road, Anura asked if we wanted to stop to see a temple.  “Yes”, we all chorused.

I could not believe my eyes when I saw the beautifully decorated Hindu Temple. While doing research about Sri Lanka, I purchased a couple of books.  On one of the covers of the books was a photograph just like the temple in front of me.  I had immediately gone to the page giving information regarding the front cover and I learnt that the temple was in a place named Trincomalee.

Further research revealed that the city was at least a 3-hour drive from the nearest place on our itinerary; therefore,  I knew that it would not be possible to add it our schedule.  Anura was surprised when I commented that the temple was just like the one in Trincomalee.  He said that there are just three temples with this architecture in Sri Lanka; the design is more often seen in Kerala, India.

I feel so lucky to be here.  The temple is situated in the town of Matale, and it is decorated with over a thousand deities. It is an explosion of vibrant colour and detail.  Its gopuram (entrance tower) reaches over 100 feet.

Sri Muthumariamman Temple is dedicated to the god of rain and fertility.  A month-long festival was underway so we weren’t permitted into its interior.

 

 

However, for a nominal fee we were allowed into the grounds.

 

A sculptor and his son from South India designed and built the temple in the Dravidian Style (South Indian), with the assistance of a huge team of master craftsmen.

 

 

After another hour on the road, we arrived at the revered Sri Dalada Maligawa Temple in Kandy. This UNESCO World Heritage Site, referred to by many as ‘The Temple of the Tooth’, is Sri Lanka’s most important temple.

When Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) was cremated in 543 BC, a left canine tooth was taken from the funeral pyre. It is now in a casket inside the temple.  The inner sanctum curtains are opened three times daily during puja (worship), this reveals the decorated doors only. The casket which is secured behind the doors is unveiled only on special occasions.

 

 

 

 

 

A temple worker was ensuring that everyone stood in the correct position for photographs next to the interior sanctum.   He manoeuvred Anne and me and then placed our hands into the ‘Ayubowan’ position.

 

This greeting is a sign of respect, and means to wish someone a long life. ‘Ayu’ means life and ‘Bowan’ to increase. Only when the man was happy that the pose was respectful could the photograph be snapped.

The temple is situated alongside a lake in a former royal palace complex. Within the grounds there are also small temples, shrines and monuments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Water lilies and other flowers are  sold within the  grounds as offerings to be placed in the various religious sites.  When we placed a small donation in one of the temples, a priest placed a tilak (red dot) on both our foreheads.  In another, a priest offered me a blessing while simultaneously tying  a Kalava (protective thread) around my wrist.

Anura rushed us back through the streets to the minibus, as the local children were about to leave the schools, and he expected that there would be heavy traffic.

Our next and final scheduled visit of the day was to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya, just a short drive from Kandy.

Our hotel for the night was also in this area.

 

The gardens were established in1821, and they boast over 4000 different species of flowers, plants, shrubs and trees from all over the world.

 

Long avenues stretching into the distance have been planted with different types of palms – Cabbage Palm, Royal Palm and Palmyra Palm.

 

 

 

 

 

We sauntered around for a couple of hours enjoying the peaceful oasis. There were, apparently, hundreds of bats close to the river that fly around at sunset.

Eventually, we spotted over a hundred, the majority of which were sleeping, hanging upside down from the trees.  The Indian Fruit bat is one of the largest bats in the world with a wing span up to 1.5 metres.

 

 

 

 

 

From the gardens we went directly to the hotel.  On the way there Pete and Anne mentioned that they would probably return to Kandy later to visit the central market.  Dave and I were contemplating returning to see the bats fly over the lake at sunset, and to possibly attend the 6.30 pm drumming puja at the Temple of the Tooth.

We agreed that we would meet up in the bar after dropping our luggage in the rooms.  Well, that was an error, or maybe not, we ordered four ice-cold beers; a while later we saw Anura who had just finished cleaning the minibus.  So, he joined us, and we had another drink, and we all chatted and our guide was telling us about life in Sri Lanka.  Anura is a Buddhist and his wife and three daughters are all Christian; he attends church with them on a Sunday.

The waiters brought a big television onto the terrace to show the live cricket match, and of course the guys started to watch cricket. Sri Lanka were playing.

And before we knew it, it was 7.30 pm and time had run away with us. So, none of us were returning into Kandy.  With a packed sightseeing schedule, which is wonderful, it is trying to get a balance, and to get some relaxation too.

I must admit that things are starting to meld now, one or the other of us occasionally asks, “Where are we, where are we going tomorrow?”

Well, at the moment, we are in Kandy, and tomorrow we will go to Nuwara Eliya, again for just one night. We are packing the places in and all is good!

While we were sat there, at dusk, the bats flew over.  It was an incredible sight, I was so pleased, as it was something that Dave really wanted to see, even though he couldn’t summon the energy to return to the centre of Kandy.

 

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