Stupas, Buddhas and White Skirts for Two

Double edition again folks …. yesterdays trip from Negombo to Sigiriya was pretty uneventful.  Its normally about 4 1/2 hours but our driver was a bit of a crazy man - nice enough but he pulled some pretty hairy overtaking manoeuvres... passing trucks on what I would consider blind corners and squeezing into gaps that really didn't exist.  Still we made it in one piece.  

Checked into the Liyon Rest Guesthouse - a little 7 bungalow family run place about 3km outside 'town'  and organised a driver for today to visit the Ancient Capital of Anuradhapura.

Lakmal our driver was much more sedate and much more careful with his almost brand new Honda Grace (hybrid).  A bit over 90min from Sigiriya through farming land very similar to parts of Vietnam.  Wide stretches of rice with towering karst outcrops in the distance.  We passed one gorgeous stretch of water that was a cloud of pale blue waterlilies.  I should have asked him to stop so I could grab a photo because by the time we came back the flowers had closed for the day.

Arriving at the ticket office we handed over our 9,200 rupiahs (about $40each) then it was off to check out the sites around a section of the World Heritage Listed site -the Abhayagiri Monastery. 

First stop was the 6th century Twin Ponds then on to the Bodhi Tree Shrine with its granite statue of Buddha which may have once been painted and had gems embedded as his eyes.

Next stop was the massive Abayagiri Stupa.  Originally built about 80BC it is almost 75m high with a base diameter of over 100m.  A renno in 1997 used 2.8million bricks to rebuild the outside.

At the 4 cardinal points are temples, the largest of which houses a huge reclining Buddha.  There are a number of trees inside the stupa grounds with Buddha statues and prayer flags.  Maintenance here is a bit like what happens at Angkor Wat, or the Sydney Harbour Bridge - start in one spot, get all the way round/across and its time to go again.

Today was Sunday so there were heaps of Sri Lankans visiting and making offerings.  These devotees must have been important, they had a drummer and umbrellas.

After the stupa it was off to check out the monastery guard stone and the nearby (very famous) Moonstone.  As is so often the case it was a case of 'exit via the gift shop' There are herds of cattle and water buffalo roaming freely through the park.  Lakmal assures us they 'go home at night' but in the heat of the day this family was content to snooze under a tree.

Down the road a bit from the Moonstone, tucked away at the end of a path that most people could easily miss is a Meditation Cave - used up until the 10th century and currently undergoing some restoration work.

At each of the holy sites (as opposed to archaeological sites) we had to cover up.  I'd forgotten to put in a sarong and it was way too hot for jeans so Lakmal had kindly lent us a couple of white sarongs.  Almost all the locals were dressed entirely in white.  At the Lankaramya Stupa, Tony graciously helped an older woman down the steps - much to the amusement of her family.

We stopped for a quick coffee (most places only have Nestle 3- in -1 so it only just rates as a coffee) and then on to the most important and consequently busiest of al the stupas.  The very grand Ruvanvelisaya Stupa, built between about 137 BC and 120 BC it is surrounded by a guard of 344 carved elephants (although most are now modern replicas).  Devotees tie strips of white cloth holding coins as offerings to rails and leave flowers (lotus or waterlilies are the most popular).  As you'd expect, the flower vendors in the car park do a roaring trade.

Outside the stupa grounds are huge parklike grounds, dotted with ruins of buildings from 10 centuries ago.  Sri Lankans picnic on the grass and monkeys play in the shade (and up-end garbage bins looking for treats)

A stop at the Archaeological Museum and the Jethawana Museum rounded out our trip.  While both of these held relatively small collections, neither permitted photography.  It always amazes me that I can take flash-free photography in some of the wonderous museums and galleries in Europe but these small museums guard their treasures so jealously that you ant take photos.  Oh well!

Heading home we had to stop for a northbound train on the single line that runs between Colombo and Jafna.

Back to Sigiriya about 3.30pm before a tuk tuk into town and a 'look' at Lyon Rock - which is on the agenda for Tuesday.  Tomorrow is Polonnaruwa - Anuradhapura's successor as the Sri Lankan capital from the 10th century.