The Dambulla Cave Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is more renowned for its rich historical and artistic significance than its culinary history. However, as a part of Sri Lanka, the temple has been influenced by the diverse flavors of the island's culinary traditions. Sri Lankan cuisine is a melting pot of flavors influenced by various historical settlers, including the Dutch, Portuguese, English, Arabs, Malays, and Indians. The region around Dambulla being largely agricultural, traditionally included an array of vegetarian dishes using local produce, rice and spices, which were mostly shared by the Buddhist monks who resided at the temple and the locals during religious festivities.