The first Dambulla Cave Temple is called as Devarajalena Vihara or the Lord of the Gods Temple. The large 45 feet Sleeping postured Buddha statue is said to be the Parinirvana status or the final passing away of the Lord Buddha. A statue of Venerable Ananda , who was Lord Buddha's devoted disciple is found near the feet of the colossal Sleeping Buddha statue. The God Vishnu image which is believed to be constructed during the King Vatta Gamini Abhaya 's rein (89-77 BC ) must have given the name Devaraja Lena. The present names of the Cave temples are said to be belongs to a period later than the initial temple construction times as those names have first being mentioned around 1700 AD in temple history. The Buddha images belongs to a period later than 2nd century BC as suggested by the scholars since the art of construction of Buddha Images took place after that period in Sri Lanka. The old paintings found in the caves had being repainted over the periods of renovations that took place and probably date back to the 17th and the 18th centuries. Paintings of this cave are of a faded status due to the lighting of Oil lamps and incenses by the worshippers of earlier times.

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