New Zealand reached 30 for one at stumps on day four, facing an uphill task of chasing a massive target of 413 runs.
New Zealand lost an early wicket after Sri Lanka declared their second innings on 259 for four, setting a stiff target of 413 for the Kiwis.
Dilshan scored 123 off 131 deliveries, putting on 101 for the second wicket with Kumar Sangakkara (46) and 54 for the third wicket with Mahela Jayawardene (27) as Sri Lanka extended their lead - already worth 153 on the first innings count - to 412.
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At tea, Sri Lanka had reached 259 for four with Prasanna Jayawardene (30 not out) keeping Dilshan company at the crease.
New Zealand were bowled out for 299 in the morning in response to Sri Lanka's first innings total of 452, and the Black Caps began brightly with the ball with Iain O'Brien striking in his second over to remove Tharanga Paranavitana.
The left-handed opener, who was out for a duck in the first innings, capped a dismal Test by edging O'Brien to Ross Taylor at first slip to fall for five.
Prior to that, Dilshan had struck O'Brien for a six and a four off consecutive deliveries in the same over, and he continued in the same vein as he bludgeoned Chris Martin for consecutive boundaries in the next over.
It's all about numbers
Dilshan, in his first Test as opener, steamed towards his half-century - he was briefly in contention for the fastest 50 in Test cricket - but Daniel Vettori brought himself on and the scoring rate dropped.
At the other end, Sangakkara was all class and finesse, driving O'Brien and Martin for well-timed boundaries and effectively holding one end up.
But just as the two were piling on the runs nicely, Sangakkara succumbed to an unfortunate dismissal while just four short of the half-century mark.
Dilshan drove Vettori straight back, but the bowler deflected the ball onto the stumps at the non-striker's end and found Sangakkara backing up a touch too much.
The urgency in acquiring runs was apparent when Mahela Jayawardene started off with an aggressive heave across the line against off-spinner Jeetan Patel which yielded a boundary.
Patel, however, claimed Jayawardene for his first victim as the former captain miscued a drive and presented the off-spinner with a simple return catch.
Thilan Samaraweera (20) then thumped Patel for two huge sixes in one over, only the fourth and fifth of his Test career, but he fell while attempting a sweep off Vettori top-edging to Taylor.
In the morning, master spinner Muttiah Muralitharan removed O'Brien (nine) for his fourth wicket of the innings, while fast bowler Thilan Thushara also finished with four, bowling Vettori for 42 as New Zealand were skittled out just short of the 300-mark.
O'Brien added six more to his overnight score when he feathered an edge to wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene, while Thushara, who replaced Ajantha Mendis, ended the Black Caps innings by bowling Vettori via an inside edge.
Thushara finished with four for 81 from 23 overs, while Muralitharan's four came at the expense of 73 runs from 42 overs.
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