Sin: දඹුල්ල dambulla – Tam: தம்புள்ளை dampuḷḷai
‘Damba Tree Fountain’ Town, Cave Complex, CP, Sri Lanka
From Sin: damba, ‘damba fruit tree’; and ul/ulla, ‘spring, fountain’.
The ‘damba tree’ is confusingly known by a number of overlapping names: Malabar, Java or black plum; jamun, jambu or jambolana; and rose apple [see Dambadeniya].
An alternative suggestion is ‘copper fountain’, from Sin: tamba, ‘copper, copper-coloured’.
Dambulla is better known for its beautifully preserved cave temple complex than its plums or copper.
Dambulla complex of cave monasteries Lankapic
