The 3rd cave of the Golden Temple
The Great New Monastery (known locally as the Maha Alut Vihara) is the third cave temple of the spectacular Dambulla Cave Temple, or Golden Temple, complex. It's slightly less spectacular than the Cave of the Great Kings, but then again topping the incredible second cave would be an incredible feat.
The cave temple was built by King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe of Kandy in the 1700's and there's actually a statue of the king himself on left once you enterthe temple. The Great New Monastery, however, is most famous for its massive reclining Buddha with its hand tucked under its cheek, a symbol of the Buddha as he approached death.
The entire cave contains over 50 separate Buddha statues, some of them seated and others standing, as well as intricate and colorful frescoes on the cave ceiling which run the gamut from complex geometric designs to scenes from the Buddha's life and his process of attaining enlightenment.
Even though its one of the more modern additions to the Dambulla Cave Temple complex, it's still spectacular and almost overwhelmingly beautiful when you first enter. You might have already gotten you fill of cave temples in Sri Lanka, but take your time to explore the space and check out all the small details in the frescoes. It's worth it.