Out and about with Lakmal again

Day 2 of our exploring based out of Sigiriya.  Today we headed to check out Polonnaruwa - another World Heritage List site.  Into the freshly washed Honda Grace with Lakmal again and out onto the road about 8.30am.  Sigiriya Rd to Moragaswewa then through the Minneriya National Park to Polonnaruwa takes a little over an hour.  The countryside en-route is a real mix - scrubby jungle (complete with 'elephant fence' - a 240volt reminder not to trample the villagers rice crops) small rice paddies fringed with coconut and other fruit trees and much thicker taller jungle.




Parting with another 4,600 Rp each our first stop was the Museum.  Much more comprehensive and better laid out than either of the ones we saw yesterday it was a good introduction to the delights that awaited us.  A short drive down along the edge  made lake to Potgul Vihara and we were back in the 12th century.  




As with Angkor, this area has buildings, palaces, temples etc built by a succession of Kings - most of whom have names that no westerner can get their tongues round on the first attempt.

After the lake we headed into the Royal Citadel  - some buildings were constructed during the reign of King Parakrambaha (1153 - 1186AD) others were added by his successor King Nissankamalla (1186-1196AD) - see what I mean about the names!  Built mostly of brick with plaster coating, many were richly decorated before the ravages of time, weather and jungle did their thing.

The main features of the citadel were the Royal Palace and the Council Chambers - guarded by a magnificent lion.  As with Angkor, Ayutthaya and the temples near Yogyakarta, restoration and maintenance is ongoing - wall repairs were happening today.



The Royal Palace was originally 7 stories high and must have been a sight to behold.  The lower 3 floors were stone and above that wood and it is said to have had 1000 rooms.  Remnants of the plaster coatings are still visible.   We both commented on how impressed we were with how neat, clean and rubbish-free the whole area was - something the Apsara Authority at Angkor could learn from (funny I seem to recall saying that in the blog entries I did from Yogyakarta a couple of years ago when we went to visit the Borobodur and Prambanan)









Just up the road is an area known as The Quadrangle.  Home to the 25 tonne Gal Pota (sacred book) the Satmahal Prasada (which reminded me a little of Pre Rup at Angkor) and the Hatadge - Temple of the Sacred Tooth.  Apparently being custodian of the Sacred Tooth (of Buddha) was a prerequisite of being the capital.  The tooth has spend time in both Anaradhapura, Polonnaruwa and now resides in Kandy.






The Quadrangle also includes the Visadge with its Guardstone and a number of other buildings including a quaint little structure with lotus flower inspired columns where the king used to sit and listen to the monks chanting.





We took a break after this and as I waited for Tony to visit the loo, watched this naughty monkey investigate the contents of a plastic bag hanging from the handlebars of a pushbike.  Unimpressed to find no food, he pulled out every single tissue and scattered them all over the ground.  This mum and her baby were much more sedate.




Next stop was Siva Devale Number 2 - a tiny Hindu temple built around 10000AD and flanked by 6 statues of cows (which are sacred to Hindus) now all sadly missing their heads.



A short drive away is the really impressive Gal Vihara - 4 huge statues of Buddha carved into  single rock outcrop.  It was great to see landscaping works being carried out that would make this site wheelchair accessible.





Back on the road and off to the  Alahana Parivena - a 35 hectare complex with stacks of 'image houses' - temples built with statues of Buddha or Bodhisattvas inside, stupas and the remnants of many smaller buildings which may have been part of a monastery.  We came cross the very Angkor-like tree root which had taken hold in a small wall. 







The 17m high statue of Buddha (headless now) sits at the centre of the Lankatilaka which is yet another building where the ravages of time and weather are so evident.





A quick stop at the Lotus Pond and we were off to our last stop - the Tivanka Image House.  Housing a massive Buddha it is now under a giant roof to provide protection to the incredible wall art to be seen inside.  No photos were allowed but it was spectacular.  The walls were adorned with  beautiful murals - painted onto plaster with a beeswax based paint, that took our breath away.  The 'guide' in this House was lovely and explained how the pose of the Buddha (knee and hips bent as if walking) made this statue a one of a kind in Sri Lanka.  He explained some of the murals and then most unexpectedly offered us a torch to make a visit to the meditation walk which goes around the building between two layers of wall.






We headed back to Sigiriya just as school was coming out.  I cannot for the life of me understand why the women of Sri Lanka ever agreed to school uniforms like these.  Every school has the same uniform except for the school 'badge' on the pocket and sometimes a different coloured tie. Whose dumb idea was this!


Yep, school kids in Sri Lanka wear white.  Girls are in all white right from Grade 1 to grade 12, some schools have boys in navy pants up to grade 10 and then they go into all whites but the vast majority seem to have all kids in all white right throughout their school years.  Just nuts!

The roads in this part of Sri Lanka are in reasonable shape (especially so given the umber of buses and trucks that drive them daily) but are only single lane away from the main roads and are frequently used by local farmers for taking their animals from one pasture to the next.  We stopped for this friendly herd just outside town.



Lakmal dropped us in town and we grabbed a quick bite before catching a tuk tuk back to Liyon Rest.  Tony's dropped some washing at a little laundry nearby and tomorrow we plan to tackle Lion Rock.



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