Sri Lanka: A world of wonders
In Sri Lanka, our nine-day road trip took us to the ancient kingdoms of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya, the sacred city of Kandy, and ended in the nation’s capital, Colombo. In the former royal cities of the north-central region, we explored the 2,000-year-old legacy of the Sinhalese culture that gave the world colossal built-brick monuments, sacred Bodhi Tree shrines, cave temples and sublime images of the Buddha. Buddhism came to Sri Lanka by way of India in the 3rd century BC and remains the dominant religion of the land. A stronghold of Theravada Buddhism, Sri Lanka played a pivotal role in the spread of the teachings throughout Southeast Asia. Heading north toward the cultural triangle, we came across fertile and abundant farmlands, lakes and reservoirs that enhanced a remarkably green landscape, well–tended fields and rural dwellings. The name Sri Lanka, meaning “sacred and resplendent land,” appeared true to form.
We arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport past midnight. The 20-minute drive along sparsely lit roads took us to Kotugoda, where we stayed overnight before setting out on our road trip. The Wallawwa, a 200-year-old manor house turned boutique hotel, melds colonial design elements with contemporary furnishings. By day, the tropical garden comes alive with flower and fruit-bearing trees. The hotel features a cozy library, and a living room that opens to a verandah shaded by Frangipani trees. The Wallawwa provided a welcome respite before taking the five-hour drive to Anuradhapura. We traveled along well-paved roads and sighted market stalls, fruit vendors, agricultural fields and plots of land abundant with coconut trees. On the way, we stopped at the Arankele Jungle Hermitage, and the site of the Aukana Buddha statue from the 5th century BC. Our guide Sumedra explained that the jungle hermitage goes back to the pre-Christian era. Situated in a forest, it served as meditation pathways for the forest monks.
The Aukana Buddha statue is considered the largest statue of the Buddha in the Anuradhapura area. It is depicted in a standing posture, measuring 39 feet in height and is cut out of a living rock. It is thought to be the work of the master stone sculptor, Barana. On the grounds stands a Bodhi Tree shrine, the most popular type of religious structure in Sri Lanka. Schoolchildren on a field trip had gathered by the shrine. There, we met the chief monk of the Aukana Monastery, the Venerable Dhammakiththi Thera. In his quarters, he showed us a collection of sacred texts that were discovered at the foot of the statue. He spoke about the importance of bringing one’s consciousness to the present moment, and Shamatha — a form of meditation that helps you gain awareness of your thinking and your thoughts. With the historical and natural wonders we had seen thus far, our thoughts were squarely in the here and now.
It was a three-hour drive to the Ulagalla Resort, a former ancestral estate of the local nobility. A 150–year-old mansion stands at the center of the property, and 20 villas are spread across 58 acres of verdant landscape. Upon entering the compound, we were offered cold refreshments, and driven by buggy to our villa. The glass-walled villa overlooks a wide expanse of greenery. We spotted birds, monkeys and squirrels. Sports enthusiasts can take a kayak out to the nearby lake, go horseback riding along the resort trails, go mountain biking or try their hand at archery. We didn’t venture far from our private sanctuary — a cool and comfortable refuge after a long day of touring Anuradhapura and its environs.
Anuradhapura, the first royal capital of Sri Lanka dates back to the 4th century BC, and is one of the eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the nation. It remained a center of power and urban life from the 4th century BC to 11th century AD. Anuradhapura’s kings fortified their city with defensive walls and gates, constructed the most complex irrigation system in the ancient world, expanded housing to accommodate a growing population, as well as providing healthcare, education and sanitation. Here, we saw massive structures known as dagobas or stupas, symbolic representations of the Buddha’s burial mound, the remains of former monastic buildings, as well as bathing and water tanks. Water tanks and reservoirs were built in the dry zone areas to ensure sufficient water supply for year-round agriculture. Among the landmark structures of the area, the Abhayagiri Dagoba dates back to the 1st century BC. The majestic structure of brick was originally over 100 meters in height. It was one of the greatest monuments of ancient times — comparable in scale to the pyramids of Giza. The Abhayagiri Monastery once was a center of learning for 5,000 monks and attracted scholars from around the world. In the vast archeological park, stands a shrine dedicated to the sacred Bodhi Tree that was grown from a cutting of the original tree brought from Bodhgaya, where the Buddha attained enlightenment. The tree stands at the southern end of the Mahavihara Monastery and is bedecked with prayer flags and lights. It is a potent symbol of faith where thousands of Buddhists make offerings.
Outside the archeological park, we drove to the Vessagiriya Cave Temple complex used by the forest monks in the 3rd century BC. Tall Banyan trees shade the entrance to the caves lodged in a sloping hillside. The cave dwellings on higher ground are sheltered by an arrangement of huge rocks.
The next day we took a two-hour drive to Sigiriya, proceeding straight to the Vil Uyana Hotel. This eco-friendly resort is set within a lake, surrounded by scrub forests and paddy fields. The long and wide photos we took captured the beauty of Vil Uyana. Clear blue skies frame the tranquil lake that reflects the surrounding greenery and the over-water cottages. As the hotel sits on a manmade eco-reserve with more than a hundred species of wildlife in the area, visitors can join wildlife-watching tours conducted on the premises.
Our next stop was the Sigiriya Rock Fortress and the city of Polonnaruwa, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Sigiriya Rock Fortress is a wondrous sight from a distance. A lake filled with lotus blossoms stands in the foreground. In the background, a rocky outcrop juts out from a hill. King Kashyapa who had overthrown his father and sought to secure his reign built his palace and personal gardens on the summit of this rock in the 5th century AD. The summit is 370 meters above sea level. The idea itself is a feat of engineering and ingenuity. The long and steep climb — about 850 steps to the top — proved too much for my endurance. So we opted to visit the on-site museum. The museum features a diorama of the site, gives an overview of Sigiriya from prehistoric times up to the period when it served as a retreat for Buddhist monks, and the golden age of the city under King Kashyapa.
From Sigirya, we head to Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka’s capital from the 11th to 13th century AD. Polonnaruwa holds the best-preserved ruins and the most beautiful images of the Buddha. We stopped at the Quadrangle — said to have the highest concentration of ruins found in the ancient cities of Sri Lanka. The Vatadage, a circular relic house that is unique to Sinhalese architecture, features four statues of the Buddha in meditation, each facing one of the cardinal directions. Elaborate carvings mark the entrances. The moonstone, a carved semi-circular stone slab symbolizing the cycle of Samsara, is seen at the northern side of the monument, and is thought to be the finest in Polonnaruwa. The most impressive site in the area are the Buddha statues at Gal Vihara — majestic works of art, and a place where Buddhists offer candles and flowers, and pay their respects to the Buddha. All four statues are cut from a single slab of granite. The standing Buddha (nearly 23 feet tall) and the reclining Buddha (46 feet in length) are remarkable for both their scale and rendering. As a group, the images are considered master works of Singhalese rock carving. Standing before the images, along with the devotees who brought their prayers before this site, I felt a strong spiritual energy. Parakramabahu I, the greatest of Polonnaruwa’s kings, commissioned these images as part of his northern monastery. Here, devotion and artistry are closely intertwined.
Our next stop was the city of Kandy, the last royal capital of Sri Lanka from 1593-1813. It is sacred to all Buddhists as it is home to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Sri Dalada Maligava. The Buddha’s tooth was reportedly brought to Sri Lanka in the 4th century BC from the Indian province of Odisha. It became a symbol of divine rule in Anuradhapura, and moved from one capital to the next, providing a strong link to the Sinhalese Buddhist tradition and granting legitimacy to the ruler who possessed it. The tooth relic of the Buddha is kept in a golden casket inside a chamber of the temple. It has long been a symbol of faith and sovereignty. Besides its stature as the spiritual core of the nation, Kandy is a hill capital surrounded by misty mountains, an ornamental lake at its center and winding uphill roads where you’ll come across homes, guesthouses and boutique hotels. The Kandy House, our base for this leg of the trip, is located in a gated compound along a narrow uphill road. The colonial style house sits at the center of a vibrant tropical garden brimming with flowering trees.
We visited the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in the evening. At the inner sanctum, devotees gathered around a long wood table covered with white Jasmine and pink lotus flowers. In front of the chamber, monks and Thai Buddhist visitors sat in a space facing carved brass doors. Inside the chamber, the golden casket holds the sacred relic. Once the doors were opened, visitors walked past the casket and stopped for a few moments to pay their respects to Sri Lanka’s most venerated religious relic. As the evening wore on, the place was filling up with locals and visitors who took their places in a long line to spend a few seconds before the relic.
The next day, we stopped at the 18th century cave temple of Degal Doruwa, known for the best-preserved paintings of Buddhist interest in the Kandyan period. The interior wall murals depict stories of the Buddha’s past lives known as the Jataka Tales — moral and instructional lessons that have guided the lives of monks, peasants and villagers through the ages. We saw images of the Buddha in meditative pose, in the standing pose, and a reclining Buddha measuring 20 to 25 feet in length. The statues are shown in delicately carved robes and are memorable for their serene facial expressions. We were glad to see one of the finest examples of Sri Lanka’s cave temple structures.
We left Kandy in the mid-afternoon and reached Colombo by late evening. The leafy hillside setting gave way to bustling market towns and a highway that took us to the fringes of the city. We drove to a district of upscale homes nestled in the Cinnamon Gardens, a former plantation built by the Dutch in the 17th century. Today it is an enclave of elegant homes, stylish boutiques and cafes, galleries and museums. When we pulled up the driveway of the Paradise Road Tintagel Colombo, the white, two-story heritage home had the look and feel of a boutique hotel in London. The home belonged to the Bandaranaike family who spawned three generations of the nation’s political leaders. The polished, contemporary interiors of dark and light neutrals, the sophisticated clientele who gathered in The Red Bar, the intimate dining room decked with black banquettes, said much about the contemporary vibe of the city. Colombo, as we discovered, was a mingling of old and new — of colonial structures re-adapted to accommodate modern recreational and shopping districts, the long seafront of Galle Face Green where five-star hotels stand, and mixed-used commercial developments are coming to life. Families, couples and visitors are seen strolling along the promenade at sunset. Colombo has a multi-cultural flair — developed by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British, it became a settlement of the Sinhalese, the Tamils, the Muslims, the Burghers and foreign nationals.
When I think of Sri Lanka, my thoughts turn to the lush countryside, the scenic lakes, and the wonders of its ancient cities — outposts of faith, spirituality, and artistry.
In the film Visions of an Island, Sir Christopher Ondaatje reflects on his homeland. Sir Christopher, a businessman, philanthropist, writer and former Olympian, relives his journeys around the island-nation. In the opening passages, he relates: “Serendipity is the accident of looking for one thing and finding another. It comes from Serendib, the old name for Ceylon and Sri Lanka — itself a serendipitous discovery.” Those words best convey the essence of our journey to Sri Lanka.
