Now we had a plan. And it was time to execute it. We left Kandy and reached Dambulla around 9 am. It was time for breakfast but we couldn't find any good hotels there. Dambulla was not a big city as I expected and had only a few options to eat. We chose a small hotel and had some idiyappam and bread loaves.
Dambulla
Our first stop for the day was Dambulla Rajamaha Viharaya and the Dambulla cave temple. There is nothing much in the Vihara. It has a Buddhist museum but we skipped it since we had already seen a similar one in Kandy. The main attraction is the cave temple. It is on top of a small hill. If you think it is difficult to trek then wait for Sigirya!
The complex has five caves and it is said there are 80 caves in the surrounding area. These caves are full of exquisite murals(wall paintings) and buddha statues. We didn't have a guide here, so I can't explain more about the caves. Photography is allowed here but you shouldn't take any photos showing your back to any of the Buddha statues. So selfies with Buddha are strictly prohibited. Then we proceeded to Sigiriya.
Sigiriya
Basically Sigiriya is a rock. The king Kasyapa(477 - 495 AD) decided to build his palace on this rock and moved his capital from Anuradhapura to here. He also painted beautiful frescos on the sides of the rock. After he was defeated by his brother Mughalan, Sigiriya was abandoned and the capital was again moved to Anuradhapura.
The site is vast and starts with Gardens below the rock. Then you have to climb on the rock. First you reach The Mirror Wall. During old times, the wall was highly polished and full of paintings of Apsaras. So when you walk beside it, it would seem in the reflection that you are walking with Apsaras. But people who visit here started writing in the wall (since 8th century) and now it is full of old versus and worn out of polish.
Then you have to climb a spiral staircase to see the remaining frescos. It is said there were nearly 500 ladies were painted in the frescos, but only a few are remaining now. Photography is not allowed here.
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| Taken from internet |
Climb down the staircase, go uphill and you will reach the Lion Gate. The climb to upper palace starts from here. It is just a steel narrow staircase used for both climbing up and down. In some places, it was shaking and when we were climbing there was a huge crowd of school students climbing up and down with us. So if you have fear of heights it is better that you stop here. When it is mentioned that Sigirya is an ancient rock fortress and has a palace on the top, don't expect something extravagance on the top. On top, all you could see are the base of a palace which was built before 1500 years.
Even though my friends were disappointed at what they saw on the top, I was very happy that I made it to the top. But I was too tired to enjoy the moment there.
An important note to South Indians, especially to Tamil people: We always think that we look like Sri Lankans; So don't think that you can fool the security here by buying the tickets for local people instead of foreigners. The ticket counter is almost one kilo meter far from the entrance and you have to go all the way back to get the tickets again, like us.
Sigiriya also has a museum and if possible see the museum first and then proceed to the place so that you can get some basic knowledge about the place.
After Sigirya, we were very tired. We just filled our stomachs with whatever the cafeteria had(biscuits, chips, ice cream,etc.) and started for Anuradhapura.
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura - The main reason why I came on this trip. The first time I came to know about this city is through Kalki's novel 'Ponniyin Selvan'. In that, it was a charming city full of Buddhist viharas, palaces, ponds,trees,etc. In the novel, it is said that Raja raja chozhan got inspired from here to built his magnum opus 'Brahadeeswarar Temple'. Since Brahadeeswarar temple is my favorite place of all time, I wanted to visit Anuradhapura since I read the novel.
When we reached Anuradhapura it was already night. My friends were already tired and most of them were discussing whether to see around the city or not. But I was adamant that I had to see. After taking some rest in the rooms we booked there, we started to the old city.
The ancient Anuradhapura town lies outside the new town. It has many monuments but since all my friends were tired, we went directly to the Ruwanwelisaya. This large stupa was built by King Dutugemunu c. 140 B.C., who became lord of all Sri Lanka after a war in which the Chola King Elara, was defeated.
The peaceful night and the large white stupa gave some new energy to us. The environment and the news that there is no entry fee here brought the old joy ness to my friends again. From Ruwanwelisaya, a pavement leads us to the Maha bodhi tree complex.
Initially, we weren't sure about whether that's the route but since it was night and we were in a good peaceful mood, we decided to give it a try. The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is the sacred fig tree which is believed to be the right wing branch of Sri Maha Bodhi from Buddha Gaya, brought here by Sangamitra, the daughter of Emperor Asoka. It was said to be planted in 249 BC, and is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date.
After this short satisfying sight-seeing in old Anuradhapura, we had our Veg and Egg Kothus in a bakery/hotel and retired to our rooms.
But I believe Anuradhapura has more to offer and If I ever visit Sri Lanka again, I would try to spend more time here.
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