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Here is the renown rock temple on a hill 340m high and 1.6km round the base containing many carvings and statues. This was originally founded by King Walagambahu in the first century BC in gratitude for the shelter he found in the cave while fleeing from Malabar invaders. The caves in the area sheltered King Valagambahu during 14 years of exile from Anuradhapura, 65km distant. When he regained the throne, he set about creating rock temples in the caves, turning them into shrines. In the first cave is an image of a recumbent Buddha that is 15m long and cut out of the rock. Deities associated with Buddhism surround it. Some of the wall paintings that have been discovered seem to date from earlier times.
However, the frescoes on the walls and ceilings are from the 15th to 18th centuries. In the second cave, considered the finest, are 150 life-size images of the Buddha. The ceiling is Covered with frescoes depicting great events in the life of Buddha as well as notable landmarks in the history of the Sinhalese.
Chadwick