Dowa Rock TempleTravellers on the way to Ella usually cross Bandarawela. Halfway to Ella they will see a white Dagoba on the right side and a car park just in front of it. What you cannot see from the road: The cliff just beow the car park carries one of the rare huge Buddha statues of which were cut from the rock in ancient times. This rock-hewn statue belongs to the Dowa rock temple, which is also known as Dova cave temple or Dhowa Rajamaha Viharaya. It's definitely worth a break for travellers on the way to Ella, though the Buddha statue is not as impressive as those of Aukana or Buduruwagala and though most of the murals in the cave temples are not earlier than from the 19th and 20th century.
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Rock-cut Buddha statue of DowaThe Dowa Rock Temple (also known as “Dhowa Rajamaha Viharaya”) is famous for the only huge rock-hewn Buddha statue in Sri Lanka’s highlands. The height of the rock-hewn Buddha statue of Dowa is 11 metres (almost 38 ft). It is uncompleted and not well-preserved due to the fact that the rock is brittle. But the face is excellently carved. The statue is not mentioned in the ancient chronicles nor in inscriptions. Due to the similarity to the centre rock statue of Buduruawagala, it is attributed to the late Anuradhapura period, 9th to 10th century C.E. Though depicting a Buddha in the typical style of Sri Lankan art, showing the Abhaya Mudra, it could well be that this statue was Mahayanist and therefore not mentioned in the chronicles written by rivallinf Therada Buddhists.
The Dowa temple is attributed to King Valagamba, known as Vatthagamani Abhaya in Sri Lanka’s ancient Mahavamsa chronicle. Valagamba is a historical figure of the first century B.C.E. Local legend has it, that in the 14 years of the king’s exile the temple was known as Kumbaltissa Ariyagala Vehera, named after the chief priest who is believed to have given refuge to King Valagamba in the caves. King Valagamba himself is said to have chiselled the rock sculpture during his time of hiding. But he had to leave it unfinished, because he and his helpers had to flee when they were attacked by enemies. Later he instructed a person called "Kumbaltissa" to construct a Buddhist monastery in this caves that had served as his hiding place. List of rock-cut Buddha statues in Sri Lanka here...
Buduruwagala Mahayana Buddhist statues here...
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Dowa Cave Temple
A Bo tree towers is picturesquely situated on a terrace above the valley of a stream belonging to the Badulu Oya river system. The Bo-tree is encircled by an ancient wall, Buddha statues are set aside. A water pond with a small rock is nearby sipplying water for usage of devotees.
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Just below the Bo-tree terrace is the main entrance to the cave complex. On the sides of the main entrance in front of the cave temples’s vestibule, there are two guardians, one with a elephant in its mouth and the other with a bull in its mouth. It is said to be they are Watuka and Kuvera, two Rakshasa leaders.
The Dhowa Temple’s shrine room is full of colourful murals in the Kandyan style. In the vestibule in front of the cave rooms, several “Jataka Stories” from the Buddhist Holy Scriptures, illustrate instances from the past lives of the Buddha. They stress his self-sacrifice for others. This way his good Karma enabled him to find enlightenment and the final Nibbana (Nirvana) in his last existence as Gotama Shakyamuni.
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The entrance to the second chamber, which is the main cave, is decorated with a Makara Thorana. The cave temple of Dowa is also called “Gal Vihara Geya”, which means “Rock Monastery House”. This is a general term refering to an Image House inside a rock cave. The interior of the taller one of the 2 caves rises to a height of almost 4 metres (12 feet). The first cave under a leveled inclined rock measures 3 m (10ft) in width and 9 m (30 ft) in length. It is rare example of a Sri Lankan rock shelter the opening of which is lower than the rear part. It contains 28 small seated Buddha statues ("Ata Visi Buddha Prathima ") and also images of deities. The canopy of the cave room is decorated with typical Lotus flowers in an ornamental manner ("Viyan Sithuwam") as well as with symbols of the astrological chart. A rare feature is the depiction of a battle between a tusker and a bull, a scene known as “Eth-Gon Satana”, “Eth” being an elephant and “Gon” a bull.
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The second shrine room houses two ancient reclining Buddhas, which are covered with modern coloured plaster.
The remaining rooms of the Dowa temple are not caves but modern buildings. They are decorated with lots of colourful paintings depicting Buddhist mythology, which are from the late 20th century. 
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Particularly Cobra has been given much prominence amongst the images in the Dowa temple. Raw eggs placed in sacrifice in front of cobra image at the entrance bear testimony of the deep belief in a living cobra in those caves. There is an entrance to a legendary secret tunnel at the rear of the Dowa Temple. It is supposed to have been used by King Valagamba for his escape. Legend has it, that the tunnel connects Dowa with Bogoda or with the Ravana Ella cave. It is said a network of tunnels once was built by the legendary demon king Ravana in order to transport and hide Sita invisibly. As in other cases of such tunnel entrances, they are closed. And most probably the tunnel rooms do not run very deeply below the surface.
In the entrance cave of this supposed tunnel, there is a small white stupa. It is believed to contain the tooth of a Buddhist saint, an enlightended monk called Arhant or Arahat in ancient texts. There were only few Arhants on the island of Sri Lanka and, according to orthodox Theravada Buddhist belief, only during the first centuries after introduction of Buddhism. Such Buddhist saints, who attined Nirvana, are held in high veneration among pious Sinhalese Buddhists. They believe, that currently there is no chance to attain Nirvana, but collecting good Karma can help to be reborn close to the future Buddha Metteya (Maitreya), who then will help his followers to find final salvation.
In the entrance cave of this supposed tunnel, there is a small white stupa. It is believed to contain the tooth of a Buddhist saint, an enlightended monk called Arhant or Arahat in ancient texts. There were only few Arhants on the island of Sri Lanka and, according to orthodox Theravada Buddhist belief, only during the first centuries after introduction of Buddhism. Such Buddhist saints, who attined Nirvana, are held in high veneration among pious Sinhalese Buddhists. They believe, that currently there is no chance to attain Nirvana, but collecting good Karma can help to be reborn close to the future Buddha Metteya (Maitreya), who then will help his followers to find final salvation.
Location of Dowa Temple
The Dowa temple is situated in in hamlet of the same name on the Haputale – Badulla main road A 16, just seven kilometres away from Bandarawela town. At the car park, you can see only new stupa. To reach the rock statue and the cave temples, you have to move down further about 100 m along a stairway.
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