We were up at the same time time this morning for the same buffet breakfast prior to departing the Jetwing Lake Dambulla hotel. Overall it was a nice property with good sized well appointed rooms and the setting on the lake is beautiful.
Our first activity today was to visit the Dambulla Cave temples which are a World Heritage Site gazetted in 1991. Dambulla is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka that dates back to the first century BC. There are five caves under an overhanging rock, carved with a drip line to keep the interiors dry, which contain statues and paintings related to Gautama Buddha and his life. There are a total of 153 Buddha statues, three statues of Sri Lankan kings and four statues of gods and goddesses. Inside the caves, the ceilings are painted with intricate patterns of religious images following the contours of the rock.
The Dambulla cave monastery is still functional and remains the best-preserved ancient edifice in Sri Lanka. Valagamba of Anuradhapura is traditionally thought to have converted the caves into a temple in the first century BC. Exiled from Anuradhapura, he sought refuge here for 15 years until he built an army to repel the invaders. After reclaiming his capital, the King built a temple to thank the monks. Other kings added to it later and by the 11th century, the caves had become a major religious centre. Nissanka Malla of Polonnaruwa gilded the caves and added about 70 Buddha statues in 1190. During the 18th century, the caves were restored and painted by the Kingdom of Kandy.
After leaving the caves, it was time to put the finishing touches on Dambulla by visiting the Golden Temple, which was built as a gift from the Japanese government. The statue is very imposing, but could probably for with a new coat of paint in places.
We followed this up with a visit to the local produce markets. This was a busy place, very much like the fish markets. After that it was time to make our journey to Kandy.
On the road to Kandy we stopped at a roadside fruit stall and sampled some of the local fruits including banana, mango, mangosteins and some peanuts. I enjoyed the mangosteins and the bananas, but nothing changed my mind about mangoes and peanuts (still YUCK!)
Our next stop was a spice garden where we were told about the correct way to consume a lot of spices and what ailments they might fix. Our guide told us all about cinnamon, cocoa, coca, aloe vera, sandalwood oil and various other spices. He was so passionate about using natural remedies that he just gave off energy. The session finished with a neck and shoulders massage. Deb had a hip massage which she also enjoyed, and wanted to take her masseuse home. I reminded her of Australia’s strict import regulations.
After that we drove the rest of the way to Kandy which definitely had that mountain feel. The hotel is amazing and we stumbled upon a local wedding being held at the hotel. We quickly checked in and then turned around to head to the temple of the tooth to witness the evening ceremony, where the casket containing the sacred tooth relic.
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is located in the Royal Palace Complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha. Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. The relic was historically held by Sinhalese kings. The temple of the tooth is a World Heritage Site mainly due to the temple and the relic.
The ceremony itself took quite a while and there is certainly a lot of jostling for position to try to get that snap of the the casket. This is not a time when tall people are popular, so I copped a bit of flak from those behind me. When the doors finally opened, a clear shot was elusive, between the heads and mobile phones, but here was the best I could do.
We had some dinner at a local bar, complete with a saxophonist and then headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep.
Until tomorrow
Rob's "Beats Working" Blog 