Staircase to Heaven – The Dambulla Cave Temple

The cave temple is up on a little hill. We couldn’t see the top so I asked how high it was.

The driver who took me there said “just a few steps up – nooo problem”

The ticket seller at the counter said “just a few steps up – nooo problem”

And so I got the ticket and started up the steps. After huffing and puffing for what must have been 5 floors I took a break and thought I must be half way up. Someone was coming down the stairs – so I asked him how much higher. “just a few steps – nooo problem”

And I began again.

With the trees and the shape of the hill I couldn’t tell how far I’d come or how far I still needed to go. I could see upto another 50 steps or 5 floors … so I imagined that that was the end.

I climbed. I stopped. I looked around – enjoyed the view.

A family of 4 with two small children overtook me. A couple overtook me. A dog overtook me.

At some point I’d climbed about 15-20 floors and now I was too invested to turn back. So I stopped protesting and kept climbing. I thought of my daughter who’d just run her first half-marathon. And though maybe I could borrow some of her ‘crazy’ and smile through this never-ending staircase.

It turned out that the cave temple is built at a height of 520 feet … roughly 52 floors. Only.

Am glad they didn’t tell me this beforehand – I’d NEVER have gone.

‘Not knowing’ was a blessing.

So I did what I shall never believe I did … and climbed the staircase to heaven.

There was darkness but there were enough spotlights to allow me to see and feel the art and feel the things that went into creating this place over a thousand years ago.

Presenting a few of the photos below – hoping that they will convey a glimpse of the aura there.

As I came out and thought about this experience – I realised that the glorified pedestal that ‘knowledge’ enjoys in our modern lives needs to be questioned.

For, too often, it is the ‘not knowing’ of the hardships that allows us the freedom to do things that we never thought we could.

One more life lesson learnt.

***

jaina mishra / june 2025