Temple inside a Cave! | Dambulla | UNESCO World Heritage Site | Sri Lanka 🇱🇰

We spent the day at the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Dambulla Cave Temple. It was hard to find the entrance as everyone knows it as the Cave Temple, but the actual name is the Golden Temple of Dambulla and has an incredible entrance that looks nothing like the photos we've seen!
This temple complex dates back to the first century BCE. The temple is composed of five caves of varying size and magnificence. The caves, built at the base of a 150m high rock during the Anuradhapura (1st century BC to 993 AD) and Polonnaruwa times (1073 to 1250), are by far the most impressive of the many cave temples found in Sri Lanka. We knew we had to visit, and we took along the camera to show you what it's like including the: Cave of the Divine King, Cave of the Great Kings and the Great New Monastery.
Sri Lanka Video Playlists:
Must See in Sri Lanka Playlist: • Travel Ella | Sri Lank...
Culture, Hotels & Food in Sri Lanka: • Sri Lanka Culture, Dai...
Follow Me:
Instagram: instragram.com/johnnyfdk
Facebook: / johnnyfdk
Twitter: / johnnyfdk
Read More:
Blog: johnnyfd.com
My 1st Book: 12 Weeks in Thailand: amzn.to/3mD8ZXB
My 2nd Book: Life Changes Quick: amzn.to/3ktu2tC
My Podcasts:
Travel Like a Boss: travellikeabosspodcast.com
Invest Like a Boss: investlikeaboss.com
Ask anything in the comments below!

[@CoolDude-cs6kv]

සිංහලෙන්ම දාන්නෙ මෙතන මහ කැරි වැඩක් වෙන බව දැක්ක නිසා..සුද්දෙක් පහල ඉඳන් එත්දි උන්ට පහලදිම ටිකට් එකක් අරන් එන්න ඕනෙ කියල කියන්න එකෙක් වත් නෑ..උඩට ආවම කැරි කමට ටිකට් එක ඉල්ලනව..ඒ මිනිස්සු කොච්චර අපහසුතාවට පත් වෙනවද ආයෙ පහලට ගිහින් ටිකට් අරන් එන්න කියල, එහෙම බලු වැඩක් කලාම.. ඔතන ඉන්න උන්ට ගානක් කඩා වඩා ගන්න හිතා මතාම කරන වැඩක් ඕන..ඔතන තව සෙල්ලමක් යනවා.. පහලදි දැනුවත් කරන්නෙ නෑ කොට ඇඳුම් ඇඳන් එන්න බෑ කියල.. උඩට ආවම එතනම තියාගෙන ඇඳුම් විකුනනවා.. විදේශිකයන් රටට ආවම ඒ මිනිස්සුන්ගෙන් රටට ආදායම් උපයා ගන්න ඕනෙ තමයි.. නමුත් මෙච්චර වටිනා බෞද්ධ ආගමික ස්ථානයක මෙහෙම අවලං වැඩ කරන එක නං අන්තිම කැතයි..

[@walasmullawalasmulla8743]

adu ganee geslata kiyala dennawath ekek wath nee...ara kapuwa ahanawa budu pilime diga kiyanne kohomada kiyalla..lajjai neda machooo...

[@han_in_sky2045]

විහාරස්ථාන කියන්නේ මිනිස්සු වැද පුදා ගන්න යන තැන්. ඒවා ව්‍යාපාර කරගන්න එක සුදුසු නෑ. ජාතිය, හමේ පාට ආගමකට අදාල වෙන්නෙ කොහොමද ?

[@walasmullawalasmulla8743]

@@han_in_sky2045 ethakota suddo lankawata anne wandala karannada ne nedaa

[@walasmullawalasmulla8743]

@@han_in_sky2045 tuwarisam walin lankawta lokuadayamak tiyanawaa...

[@walasmullawalasmulla8743]

@@han_in_sky2045 raja waru karapu weda nisa thamai pae rate name eka thamath tiyenne...nethuwa mee dan enna 225dena katala nowee

[@dayanandanayanananda6646]

ශ්රී ලාංකිකයන් වශයෙන් අපි ජොනී සහ ක්රිස්ටිනාට කළ අසාධාරණය පිළිබඳව අපගේ අප්රසාදය පළ කරමු.

[@loveforever17]

Impermanence. the ritual of offering flowers is to remind yourself that the body will perish just like the beautiful flower one day.

[@janebingham5060]

I like that....

[@gaurij123]

I’m super impressed by Kristina’s knowledge and enthusiasm. She’s awesome 😊

[@erandajanaka3790]

Mr. Jhony, I really appreciate the way you worship to the statue of Lord Buddha @5.30. 👍👍👍👍👍. You exactly know how to behave in a particular culture to respecting it. You both simply "Took my breath away." salute you Sir.

[@JJ-pj1jv]

Of course he is mix with Chinese. There is nothing to surprise.

[@palikiridena2796]

May the triple Jem bless Johnny and Christina for the warm homage you paid to Lord Buddha

[@bavantha]

My personal opinion is that Buddhist temples should be opened to anyone free of charge. Even if they are a tourist. Earning in the name of Lord Buddha is wrong. There are places where we should issue tickets. But in religious places, they shouldn't. Love your videos❤

[@vijayafernando1]

Absolutely. Buddhism is full of lessons that people need to know. It's like charging students at university- it's wrong to charge for learning.

[@samudraranawaka54]

These are ancient national treasures within the cultural triangle (not a villageor town vihara). Foreigners must pay to visit. If you go to a place like this in another country you'll pay too. Actually Sri Lankans are lucky that they don't have to pay, most western countries charge own people to visit places like this.

[@bavantha]

@@samudraranawaka54 Exactly. But my point is. It symbolise Buddhism which never taught to earn through the religion.

[@samudraranawaka54]

@@bavanthayou are wrong. This is not earning through religion. This is making an income from ancient culture ie: art, buildings, paintings, statues etc. It has to be this way for the maintenance and the protection of these places, along with the communities around it. If a western country has a place like this they'll make millions in a day from tourists and local people. Sri Lanka has always being modest and maintained the balance.

[@bavantha]

@@samudraranawaka54then they should earn in the right way without making the tourists go up and down.

[@chazer8057]

Access to Buddhist temples should be free to any human being. Donations are fine. I'm going to try and alert the authorities about this. Keep up the great work Johnny and Kristina!

[@stuartray2619]

Wow, it's so beautiful. I love buddha and I respect Buddhism

[@kalumwanigasekara8292]

Stuart ray,visit Srilanka...always welcome....

[@bestsri1]

@@kalumwanigasekara8292 මූ ලංකාවේ එකෙක් බං. 🤣

[@kalumwanigasekara8292]

@@bestsri1 happa....🤦‍♂️😂

[@coke2971]

same i love buddhism and also the country srilanka from philippines

[@rupikacosta8197]

One Nation One Sri Lanka Its dissapointing to see how bad the system is and how much time is wasted at these places. Sri Lanka has been one of best tourist destinations in the world for such a long time but how its run by the public sector have not changed for decades. Thank you for pointing them out and so much hassle you have to go through. I hope these will be picked up by the decision makers and policy makers in Sri Lanka. To change the systems and come up with hassle free ways to make the locals and visitors more of memorable and better experiance

[@malalankaputhra9733]

Thank you for showing the world what a great cultural heritage Sri Lanka has. We appreciate you both for your patience & how you respect our culture. Many apologies for the difficulty you had to go in purchasing the tickets. Good luck to you.

[@jacvins7243]

@Johnny FD- why they don’t sell tickets in the first entrance was your question and it could be different reasons and there is always a step forward to make it convenient but you might not go if they sell the ticket in the entrance but the probability after climbing the steps, chances are you will buy it and visit.. In US most of the food and wine are not regulated as per international standard and they are mostly make you sick and ill and 70% US population are under medication as result of that. Most of the food from US aren’t not allowed in Europe as well in some Asian countries because of its toxicity. WHY is that as a developed nation? A nation like Srilanka is a developing nation and has its own flows, Take it as it is and walk few miles will take off that toxins instead of complaining. BTW it’s very less toxin in Srilankan food.

[@KushnSads]

I've been watching a couple of your videos in Sri Lanka. First, thank you for showcasing Sri Lanka in a mainly positive light. Though there are things that need a LOT of improvement, there's a LOT to love about the island, as well. Not least it's fascinating, varied, brutal & hopeful history. I agree there should have been a sign at the bottom that stated clearly the need to buy a ticket. I feel the reason the ticket need be bought at the museum is because the museum showcases the history of the temple & that leading up to the build, which enhances the experience of being in Dambulla. However, if you had spoken to the manager of the hotel you were staying at or visited the website for tourism, you would've been told or noted that a ticket has to be bought prior to going up to the temple. In addition, I don't think nor do I feel that the sites being free for local tourists is "disrespectful to" or "discourages" foreign tourists from visiting Sri Lanka. These sites require upkeep. Money is needed to ensure these places remain for posterity for Sri Lankans & foreign tourists, alike. One US Dollar is about 150 Sri Lankan Rupees (SLK), a British Pound = 237SLK. That is less than most Sri Lankans earn in a day, less than some Sri Lankans earn in a week! It is a necessity to subsidise entry into Sri Lankan historical sites for Sri Lankans to enjoy, or they wouldn't know about their own history. & I assure you, besides what's being taught in school Sri Lankans have been to & are aware of their history that spans over 5000years. I know that's not what you experience in developed countries, this one price for tourists one for locals aspect of travelling. But it exists in a few countries & I don't feel it's wrong, for the reasons I've mentioned. & to say it's unfair, indicates that to me that you are unaware of the utter hardships locals have had to endure, especially during the pandemic. You're privilege is showing. & it's alright that it is, you're much better off than about 90% of the population currently living in Sri Lanka. A bit of perspective in your videos would be appreciated, however.

[@KushnSads]

Sorry....your* privilege is showing. 😊

[@divinejourney-official50]

ලංකාවේ වැඩ ගැන ලැජ්ජායි!!! හැම තැනම ඔහොම තමයි මෝඩ කමයි, මිනිසුන් අපහසුවට පත් කරන පිලිවෙලක් නැති වැඩ, කැත වැඩ !! ඒත් කතා කරන්නේ බුදු හාමුදුරුවෝ ගැන ,,

[@shewan4]

Loved loved loved that tree house restaurant you showed ! And really appreciate Krishna carrying flowers to the temple. And both of you are dressed in white 🤗👏

[@Attapattu]

You are doing an awesome job with your videos Johnny. Majority of the sites you guys visit are places even most Sri Lankans haven't had the chance to see. We appreciate it immensely. Pardon the primitive mindset and hardships. Your frustrations are fully inline. I left this place 30yrs ago and keep visiting every 10 hoping it's somehow evolved. Sigh! Keep it up brother. Cheers!!

[@nofearfpv1743]

Very interesting, I have not seen so many temples out side Thailand and Myanmar. I love the way you respect the culture and the heritage. I will keep watching you!

[@JohnnyFD]

Thanks for watching! I'm glad to be able to show you!

[@sumithmadushanka629]

May triple gem bless you for all thank you so much for showing this video ❤🇱🇰

[@kokilawijewickrama6639]

Sorry Johnny for all the inconvenience caused. I appologize on be half of all of us. Safe journy and best of luck with much love and concern..................

[@rathnakumara99]

👍👍🙏

[@niroshgoonarathne]

Very nice video.keep it up the good work. Really sorry for the tickets issue. Love the video.

[@tonysoyza3296]

I'm a Catholic but I love how Buddhism is practiced especially in Sri Lanka.

[@noclickbaitrecipes7565]

Once again Johnny the choice of music is superb!

[@rangikakelum2804]

Amazing video..best of luck guys❤️

[@roshanipriyangakahadawala1135]

Johnny, nice video. You are so privilege to video/use camera inside the cave. I remember it was prohibited at the time I visited.

[@MrsPuff-zp5gw]

Beautiful cave very nice you guys didn’t gave up so i get to see it. Thank you.

[@han_in_sky2045]

දළදා මාලිගාවටත් ටිකට් එකක් ගන්නවා. සුදු හම තියෙනවා නම් බෞද්ධ වෙන්ට බැරිද ?

[@ehtravel]

This is great Great content Its amazing 😉

[@rathnakumara99]

So sorry Johnny for the inconvenience caused by tickets issue, this must be corrected as soon as possible , thank you for visiting this world Heritage Site which has the largest and well preserved cave temple complex dates back to first century BCE. Thank you once again for visiting our beautiful country Sri Lanka 🇱🇰, and uploading beautiful videos about our country. God bless you 🙏 ❤.

[@debbyjoy7873]

Our president won't be happy about this.im going to complain this someway. Any one else hit like,and comment below

[@bagi6479]

Mr.jonny i am sri lankan but now living in qatar you video very nice

[@budjai9072]

Ajantha caves, ellora caves and dhambulla cave temple you guys are so lucky to see this... god build this so no one can fake it.

[@Lihini678]

I don’t know what to say but hope this vid will be viewed by the first citizen of sl. Cos there’s a lot to be improved and rectified 😔

[@janebingham5060]

Cant wait to see you climb the sigyri rock. I will be staying at the sigyri hotel which overlooks the rock cocktail whilst watching my fella and daughter climb. Ha ha. Interesting to see how hard it is. My sri lankan friend mentioned that there are bee hives up there and you have to be quiet hmmm! Just saying. Look forward to seeing you guys on the rock lol

[@janebingham5060]

Thank you for this video. Love following you. When i go i will know where ti go exactly what to expect.

[@JohnnyFD]

You are so welcome!

[@janebingham5060]

Hey johnny I know im backtraacking on your journey a little. What did you think of the grand hotel, are there shops local, i believe there are. Thinking pf staying there instead.

[@janebingham5060]

Yeah i was wondering if you guys drank. Send one over to me.

[@janebingham5060]

Very noisey the jetwing is. Love to listen to the birds and nature instead. Apparently sigiryia hotel has a high tea. Look at that place.

[@trxesports99]

Nice video... you should visit kurunegala... there are some breathtaking sites to visit there... and also the Mahamewnawa monestry in Polgahawela. Stay safe!

[@sadeeshakavishan3876]

Good job my friend 🇱🇰

[@pkd123456]

Johnny you’re such human bro we love you so much

[@sanjoybarua6504]

Nice temple 🌸🌻🌼🌺👍

[@harshanalakruwan]

බෞද්ධ සිද්ධස්ථාන වලට ඇතුළු වීමේ දී මුදල් අය කිරීමට එරෙහිව වහාම ක්‍රියාමාර්ගයක් ගත යුතු යි. විදේශිකයකු වූ වත් යන්නෙ ත්‍රිවිද රත්නය මුන ගැසීමටයි. අතරමගදී කප්පම් ගැනීම තරයේ හෙළා දැකිය යුතුයි. බෞද්ධ කමටත් නිගාවක් 👎👎👎👎👎👎🐕🐂🐃

[@nalaka.perera]

මේක Unisco site එකක්, මේ අය කරන මුදලින් වැඩිම කොටස් යන්නෙ එතනට, ලංකාවේ ඉතිරි වෙන්නේ පොඩි ප්‍රමානයක්,

[@SapumalMoragoda]

Aniwa

[@dhammikawijesinghe2192]

පසුගිය රජය සමයේ මෙම මුදල් අයකිරීම රජයට පවරා ගනු ලැබුවා.ඉන්පසුව පන්සල මඟින් ක්‍රමවත්ව කරගෙන යනු ලැබු ටිකට්පත් නිකුත් කිරීම අක්‍රමවත් වී හැඩයකුයි පෙනී යන්නේ.කෙසේවෙතත් විදේශිකයන් සූරා කෑම අනුමත කල නොහැකියි.විදේශිකයන් දැනුවත් කිරීම සඳහා Golden temple හී සිටම අවම වශයෙන් දැන්වීම් පුවරුවක්වත් තැබීම කල යුතුයි.එසේ නැතිනම් රටට සම්පතක් වන මෙවන් සංචාරකයින් අතෘප්තිමත් වනු නොඅනුමානය.💔

[@maheshliyanage2002]

Thanks for travelling Sri Lanka....

[@tamil6871]

යකෝ බුදුන්ගේ නාමෙන් පන්සල්වලට යද්දී ඔය තරම් සල්ලි ගන්න එපා

[@MM-gw7em]

Vikunagena kana hatta

[@dunilamendis279]

Dear Johnny, What you are saying it correct.when we visited the similar places there is not any direction or signe.not organized to buy tickets even. only way to correct put it in the face book or write to tourist board in srilanka. There is more to improve. It's shame its buitifulful country..Srilankan have never realized how lucky they are to have so much ruins and long history.Have wonderful time.

[@shehan8013]

Wow welcome to land of sinhalese jhony ❤ Beautiful sinhalese culture art these are showed how hard work our people

[@rathnakumara99]

Very true 👍.

[@Wathsalaya]

#Thank you Johnny!!

[@freehitcricket9534]

Wow

[@tonysoyza3296]

These 2 outstanding human beings is doing a superb job covering Sri Lanka. I haven't seen any one covering so much of any one country. I wonder why the president has not met these 2 people until now. Johnny & Christina are very honest people. They say the truth always & the responsible authorities must look into the complains seriously & kill those problems before the problems kill Sri Lanka. This island is really a wonderful place but I doubt whether the authorities have any feelings or feel responsible to contribute honestly. Once the corona is over, I'm pretty sure many people will head for Sri Lanka.

[@buffalo194]

As a Sri Lankan extremely sorry for the bitter ticketing experience you had to go through at Dambulla. I have a friend who's working at Presidents office. I will make sure the President to see this by himself.

[@narayankamath3667]

We visited this place yesterday and faced the same problem. When they get so much of money from foreign tourists why they don’t rectify such things.

[@patilpramodg]

We faced same ticketing problems . We were very tired so we dropped the idea to go back and went to Sigyria with broken heart. So sorry inspite of collecting very very high payment from foreign travelers no improvement.

[@patilpramodg]

We faced same ticketing problems . We were very tired so we dropped the idea to go back and went to Sigyria with broken heart. So sorry inspite of collecting very very high payment from foreign travelers no improvement.

[@Kaile1789]

6:32 monkeys really like to eat middle part(core) of the Lotus flower. Even we ate it in Childhood. Its tasty.

[@Tharaka123]

1.20 Johnny, don't forget to come back for your phone :)

[@JohnnyFD]

Haha thanks! I almost forgot it. ;)

[@kamaleshan3530]

God bless you too!!!! 👍👍💜

[@rajvision7443]

Thanks for this video actually i want to visit this place But i couldn't . I studied about this cave... This is one of the biggest Buddha statue . Thank you somuch. And also i accepte your complain. About the ticket. It's should be give on the down entrance . Anyway 👏👏

[@janebingham5060]

I must look into the history of these caves etc. I think knowing history about the place makes the experience a little bit more interesting. My partner was remaking on how all the statues you have been showing in sri lanka are kept pretty well, no graffiti. would be descimated in australia and america. However im looking into the history. The lions rock is a fascination looking forward to that.

[@JohnnyFD]

There is ZERO graffiti in Sri Lanka, it's incredible. In Greece their history has been ruined with vandals.

[@rupanipremarathna6764]

Very very beautiful templat Sri lankan

[@waseemamlath5184]

Nice video Sri lanka

[@ksshankar]

Are you come to jaffna?

[@dayanandanayanananda6646]

Thanks Mr. prasanna thenuwara. I also complained about this matter to the president and Presidential Staff with the video. We, as Sri Lankans, express our displeasure at the injustice done to Johnny and Christina by the undisciplined.

[@nameshkushantha5558]

Superb Camera Movement @05:27

[@JohnnyFD]

Thanks to Kristina and Ken Burns for that! =)

[@dinusharasanga5308]

Sre ,very Beautiful Temple Rangiri Dabulla

[@kalpamanamendra3609]

You guys should visit the Sigiriya!

[@samanthausa1580]

Nice video 👌

[@bhathiyamanamperi491]

Normally there is a ticketing booth at the entrance. Since currently there are no foreigners coming they have no reason to be open i guess. But completely agree that it should be available at the entrance. ASKING HOW MUCH THE LOCALS HAVE TO PAY IS LIKE GOING TO A RESTUARANT AND ASKING THE OWNER HOW MUCH HIS KIDS PAY TO EAT THERE. Johnny I have watched all your videos with a smile on my face. After this many months in Sri Lanka you know how hospitable and welcoming our ppl are. I have seen you partaking activities with locals that u can only dream of in other countries. I get that u are upset that you are paying when the locals get in free. Don't interpret it as your not welcome there when you clearly know that's not the truth. How many times have I heard you say its super cheap for the last 6 months? You got use to it and now when asked to pay average price for a UNESCO site such as this around the world, suddenly its a huge deal. Too expensive/rude/unwelcome? you got to be kidding me. Just think about, was the money worth what you saw? specially with everything else super cheap? if it is not, its ok to skip places like Anuradhapura and Sigiriya Cause they are unbelievably breathtaking but you will have to pay similar fee. Really disappointed the way you complained in the last 2 videos. Hopefully you can see past the lack of structure in our 3rd world country and enjoy it for the beautiful place it is.

[@bomindawikarama842]

Thank you for opening eyes of sleeping processes, sorry for the inconvenience caused, bad experience sharing will made good change in future, tickets and checking should be in near place, and your idea of visiting day fee would be good for productively time and cost for both government and tourists, again a good video few blank spots needs some editing.

[@LALAPITCHTOP]

Really nice johnny one of my friend told to me about your channel nice your doing awesome keep it💙💙💙💙 if you have any ideas to come out to kalkudah again contact me will do

[@JohnnyFD]

Please tell your friend thank you for sharing it!

[@LALAPITCHTOP]

@@JohnnyFD sure 💙💙💙

[@nerogaming3837]

Thanks johny. Visit the kandalama hotel

[@hiranyaamarasinghes7150]

❤️🇱🇰

[@user-my1km6vh9t]

This was princess Padmavati's favourite temple to visit. It was build in 13- 14 BCE during dambadeniya kingdom era.

[@koobie83]

Hi Johnny. I’ve experienced many things like that ticketing problem. I think tourists have to remember that Sri Lanka is still relatively fresh out of a civil war that lasted so many years, that the road to a peaceful future is going to take a little time, let alone whether the tourism industry is perfectly catered for tourists. I think in a way it’s good that they don’t over cater, because then you could lose an authentic Sri Lankan experience. It would be awful if Sri Lanka became another Bali. But I do agree, there needs to be more information for tourists when they visit places like that. It makes things more difficult than it need be

[@ranilcp1]

Hi johnny always love your videos tri to visit KANDALAMA HERITANCE HOTEL one of the most beautiful

[@buddhiwijerathne9821]

Yes. Good choice. As well as if you want to visit sigiriya by foot early in the morning better stay at hotel sigiriya or sigiriya village hotel. Prices are low these days. Aliya resort and spas also a nice hotel around sigiriya. But away from the sigiriya rock. Can do wild safari from aliya resort and spas. If you are looking for a better deal please try cinnamon Lodge or Cinnamon village. They have very special discounts these days. Both hotels located amazingly inside the nature trails. Both of you will love that. Anyway you are doing a great job Johnny. I love your videos. Enjoy your stay....

[@mudiyansethennakoon2358]

සංචාරකයින්ගේ පැමිනිලිවලට ඇහුම්කන් දෙන අයෙක් සංචාරක අංශවල ඉන්නවද?

[@chanching9331]

Many be streamline and have one ticket or pass for all tourist sites and pay only once one flat rate.

[@JohnnyFD]

That would be a great idea. A 14 day pass, or better yet, month long pass that lets you go all over the country to these sites. It'll encourage more travel, hotel stays, and the economy.

[@indunilramadasa2974]

@@JohnnyFD Truly a good idea. Sorry about the inconvenience you faced and you might go through similar absurd charge in some other places too. There is no proper holistic plan on treating tourists, in some places its care takers who decide fees. No matter who does and who benefit, charging a person based on race (they take it as nationality) to enter a Buddhist temple is against Buddhism. I ashamed as a Buddhist. You werent charged at Kovils right?

[@Lckingz]

oh man stop being a karen. really annoying. its 1 hour work in usa or 2 starbucks coffee.

[@CuriousKani]

I have a bad feeling that @Johnny FD will have to complain again when he visits Sigiriya. It's 30 USD per head while it's 30 LKR for locals.

[@rathnakumara99]

@@JohnnyFD very good idea Johnny 👍

[@dumindugunawardana8045]

Most backpackers who visit sri lanka can not visit a lot of heritage sites and archeological sites due to high ticket prices. They are the people who really promote sri lanka to the world. Even though they charge high prices for tickets most of the places don't even provide better sanitary facilities. Authorities just trying to make money in a direct way and they don't know how much sri lanka can earn indirect ways via tourism. Some places charge for the site and if the site has a museum it also charges separately. I think local and tourists should pay the same amount for every heritage sites and archeological sites.

[@vindulaillankoon8920]

Johnny, Really sorry about the inconvenience!

[@sagarapradeepsamarasinghe7638]

At a time when tourism is running utterly downhill, tourists must be treated fairly and squarely. It's they that promote tourism in the country, not the guys at the counter. Furthermore, they pay more money than we do. And that money doesn't count for nothing. They come here and spend money not only to enjoy the scenery but also with so much curiosity to be educated about all untold ,unheard stories behind them. There must be someone entrusted with the job. That's the way it's got to be rolling here. There is so much valuable history behind Dambulla cave temple. Each and every inch , here there and everywhere historically significant has a tale to be told. I privately regret the fact that you guys miss bulk of the stories because of unfair negligence of the caretakers of those places. My appology guys. Hope you'll be more welcomed hereafter. By the way, that background music is in perfect harmony with the sound echoing from a cave. 🙏👍

[@dilanbandara1257]

❤️

[@ksshankar]

Hi i am srishankar form srilanka jaffna

[@kalu6838]

🙏🙏🙏

[@leonscorner7403]

Hi Jonny, I really enjoyed your videos. I am Sri Lankan but I live in Australia. I just want to give you an advice. Be careful when you visit temples in SL. People try to cheat foreigners. Specially, in Polonaruwa they resell issued tickets. That’s why they didn’t issue tickets from the counter and security guy gave you tickets separately.I know you do a great job by showing our amazing country to the world. But some doggy people make a bag image for our country by doing such bad things to foreigners.

[@nila6085]

In my case, I visit those places only for history Johnny. They don't practise Buddhism. They are far from Buddhists philosophy. Open gates, open hearts and open minds are hardly found in those places. Expecting something which does not exist, brings nothing but annoyance. One thing, Buddhism always offers another chance to everyone. Let's hope they will change.

[@noclickbaitrecipes7565]

As I gathered from a comment set by one individual, the reason they don't notify tourists that the ticket must be purchased at the foot of the rock is all a part of a scam. That way they make a local(one of the uniformed dudes or one of their henchmen) go down the rock on "behalf" of the tourist to get a ticket and hence recieve a "tip". Apparently they also don't inform tourists at the foot of the rock that their knees and shoulders must be covered before entering the temple, that way they can make the tourist buy or rent a sarong and make more money. Absolutely appaling and cringworthy behavior. If you are a woman travelling across Sri Lanka make sure you have a large scarf or sarong like thing in your backpack, that way no one can rip you off, of your hard earned money.

[@magtazeum4071]

give her at least one lotus please..She really needed one..Her face was so sad when she didn't get a flower

[@alphabeats9215]

Statues were gold plated by King Nishshanka Malla who was the last important king from Polonnaruwa Kingdom(2nd kingdom of Sri Lankan history)

[@manidim705]

You’re right Johnny.Archeology Department of SL should reduce the fee for tourists.Only donations are enough for the conservation of archeological sites.

[@rupanipremarathna6764]

Rupani ge Good pege eka oya laga thenks

[@dilhaniscoggins6593]

I am a Sri Lankan and I am a shame to see how they charge to see natural wonders understand they need the money to manage theses places but to the price difference between a local and a foreigner is ridiculous even though I am a Sri Lankan I hold a different passport so every where I go I have to pay foreign fee too we went to see the Sigiriya with a friend of mine and my family were sent to two different lines and she was charged less than half we paid as a family of four it makes me so sad I hope our new president put a stop to all this craziness I thank you for showing how beautiful my country is cannot wait for al this Covid to go away so I can go visit all these beautiful places can you sometimes share the prices of the hotels that you all stay at please

[@deshappriya2007]

I m say so sorry for u as a Sri Lankan person cause Sri Lankan tourism has n t proper structure. with my 15 yrs experience I m saying this. that s why u have to face this kind of problem. I will do something to change this.

[@slkorea8748]

👋🇱🇰

[@loveforever17]

The Lotus flower is just beautiful as it is. It its intrinsic nature. Humans should develop beautiful inner qualities just as beautiful.

[@krishanthaperera7562]

Thanks for visiting here my country 🇱🇰🇱🇰🇱🇰since i hope that you shoul hier a tourguide with more fluent in english to translate for you thanks again im a big gan of youe chanel 🙏❤️❤️❤️

[@SMb620]

Where’s the tourism minister? Is he sleeping or just talking nonsense of building domestic airports for commissions ect ect... there needs to be a streamlined process for foreigners to visit. These are world heritage listed sites with so much history and the story must told and sold prior to the arrival so there’s value and it’s never been done that’s why the tourists complain because they don’t know the value. Fees are on par with most other sites around the world that I know of or in some cases cheaper!Now the question why is it free for locals? I think because it’s their heritage that they created and also because Sri Lanka is a developing country we can’t afford to open the gates for free to tourists. Locals are allowed donations and honesty I believe the donations exceed by far than the income from the tourists. As Johnny correctly said it is utterly rude the way it’s set up or non existent set up.

[@dinusharasanga5308]

❤❤❤🌹🌹🌹🌷🌷🌷

[@wasananiranjalee2595]

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💐💐💐💐💐💐

[@gnanakumarnadarajah7439]

Johnny we lost you 2 days. are you ok in Sri Lanka? from Paris

[@chathuramadusanka7309]

In Sri Lanka there are so Many buddhist temple Entrance free for Everyone. But i think this place unesco World Heritage site That is why they charge. Anyhow as a Buddhism i don't accept for entrance free of the Buddhist temple. Anyhow We will complaint to Our New President and New government regarding this. Hopefully they will give better solution for this. Behalf of Sri Lankan i apologize the inconvenience. Whatever Enjoy your Sri Lankan journey Bro. I wish if i return to Sri Lanka this year, i Would like to invite you both to my home for a Dinner or lunch 🍚🥗🍜🍱 Cheers 🤘👍💓

[@CD-ho4hm]

Hi Johnny! I feel for you both. It was so annoying to watch the inconvenience and the ridiculous rates they charge tourists. Please, try get your message across to the Tourism Board of Sri Lanka.

[@nilminigamage631]

Jonny they may have removed the ticket counter due to the pandemic , sorry for the inconvenience guys, mmay your good wishes come true, another thing jonny beecareful of the monkeys ,sometimes they may attack you ,cause they eat the middle part of the flower , the blue water liliy is our national flower ,🙂 👍💕

[@kalumwanigasekara8292]

Christina is becoming a local ......

[@kalumwanigasekara8292]

@@sallysloan9065 i would think Johnny is rather spending the money for her...tickets, food, accommodation..ect..yeah,he is not like others...

[@kalumwanigasekara8292]

@@sallysloan9065 i mean he is rather difference person...and besides he would be thinking twice before spend the money...i would say that's fair.....yeah and Christina may help to increase fans too...

[@kirubakaran1042]

Hi sir i like u are video for srilanka pls go ratnapura gem city for ratnapurs

[@carlmiles8948]

Hi Johnny & Kristina Great video, so much history over there in Sri Lanka. Those monkeys are a bit annoying, but the entrance fees for tourists vs the local price is more annoying. Enjoy your travels and stay safe...and dont forget to eat lots of Kottu.

[@indunilramadasa2974]

Warning : Lots of Kottu lead to constipation :)

[@gujaratpolitics4181]

Which country this place🙏

[@shewan4]

Oh this is a really unfortunate situation - the whole ticket issue. There should be sign boards in multiple languages indicating the requirement of tickets ! These are the minute facts the Sri Lankan tourist board / any board incharge of should take care of. Why would a Non - Buddhist tourist want to do all the hard work without proper guiding factors ?! Lot of tourists go to such places only because they are curious about the heritage and cultural aspect of these countries. The authorities really have to make these visitors comfortable.

[@JohnnyFD]

To be fair, I think we saw a sign about tickets about half way up the climb. But there was no seller, so we figured we might as well go to the entrance as logically they would be sold there.

[@shewan4]

@@JohnnyFD Oh okaaay. Then that might be because of lack of tourists this season ? I am not sure. Yes in that case , wise man would keep few tickets on the top just in case a tourist pops in. Did you guys visit Sigiriya ?!