The Caves and Paintings

The Dambulla temple is composed of five caves, which have been converted into shrine rooms. Within these rooms in housed a collection of one hundred and fifty statures of the Buddha, and several more of deities, other personages of the Buddhist order and the country’s history. These statues and paintings are representative of many epochs of Sinhala sculpture and art.

The classical School of Sinhala paintings ceased of exists after the fall of Polonnaruwa, at the end of 12^th century, is generally accepted. There are no extant examples of this style dated later than the 13^th century. Four hundred years later a new school of painters came in to focus. This new school neither exhibits the skill of the earlier masters, nor does it find its rooms in the traditions of paintings which created the masterpieces at Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa. The style is two dimensional and the composition less skilful than that of the earlier classical artists. In its conventions particularly in the decorative designs and representation of trees and creepers, it shows alienation from the earlier indigenous painters. The painters are executed in brilliant color schemes, where yellow and red are predominant.

This new school of Sinhala Art seems has been influenced by the contemporary South Indian Deccan School Of art which flourished under the patronage of Muslim rulers. The frescoes which adorn the caves of Dambulla represent this new school of Sinhala painting.

Inside the caves, the rock surfaces are entirely covered with paintings; the earliest paintings are in cave no 2 and are all decorative designs. Dating them precisely is not possible due to over-painting. These drawing do show an affinity to the ornamentation work at Sigiriya. It could be surmised that this continuity of the Sigiriya traditions. Any older paintings that may have existed here are lost due to over – painting. The Dambulla Tudapata reads that Caves No. 1, 2 and 4 King Senarat (1604-1635 A.D). This would mean that they were executed by the Kandyan artists of the 17^th century. During the reign of Kirthi Sri Rajasingha, the paintings were renovated and over – painted again. paintings the cave No. 4  belongs wholly to the new Sinhala School of painting which flourished in the kandyan provinces after the 17^th century.