I’ll start with a gratuitous picture of today’s chameleon:
Anuradhapura was the capital of Sri Lanka until about C11 AD, when it moved to Polonnaruwa. Nature has gently embraced the ancient city, which is now a sacred place for Buddhists, and makes for a pleasant stroll among the ruins:
But first, to the bodhi (bow-dee) tree. It was under a bodhi tree that the Buddha found enlightenment, and it’s now revered in Buddhist culture. The oldest bodhi tree in Sri Lanka draws crowds, mostly natives:
And then to a tour of the main sites.
Guardstone: stone tablets guard the entrance to many buildings in the city. This one depicts two lovers coming out of the cobra above the figure holding the “pot of abundance” which is interpreted as meaning that fertility promotes prosperity. It is considered one of the finest examples of guardstones in Sri Lanka:
Moonstone: Stone semi-circles at the base of the steps (“moonstones”) are very common. Two of the finest artistic examples are here.
- Palapeti (which I think refers to the lotus-flower, although it’s difficult to see whether that’s what the carving shows) symbolise the “world in flames”;
- the next layer (of animals) symbolises birth, old age, illness and death (which seems to emphasise the end of life, rather!);
- next, rambling creepers symbolise craving, and the smaller creeper the diminishing of craving;
- swans symbolise the pious people;
- and, finally, the central lotus represents the “Supreme Bliss”:
Near the stone, a woman was cutting the grass… by hand, swinging a golf-stick-like implement:
It later became apparent that “gardeners” were positioned at all the main sites (some of which were a distance from the roads), I assume to unobtrusively ensure their protection.
We’d started early, so even though it was only just past ten, we were getting hungry. Most of the stalls around the tourist areas were empty, another sign that it’s shoulder season:
But we managed to find some water and a very tasty, freshly-cooked banana roti – yum:
Then a tour of the other main sites via tuk-tuk, starting with one of the main events – the Abhayagiri Vihara (“stupa”):
Founded in C2 BC, it was a major monastery but fell into disrepair when Anuradhapura was abandoned. In 1997, the Central Cultural Fund began its reconstruction, using 2,833,431 bricks and costing 530m LKR (£25.8m).
It was also here that I spotted an ice cream van, Sri Lankan style (later I also saw an ice cream tuk-tuk but wasn’t fast enough with the camera):
Then to the Samadhi Statue, an eight-foot high granite sculpture of Buddha in the meditation position (hands overlapped in lap with palms turned up):
Via the twin ponds (28m and 40m):
To “Jetavana”, now standing 73m high, and originally conserved by the British upon colonisation:
By this time, we were definitely “stupa’d out”. It was gone midday and it was *hot*. But we just had two more to see, starting with “Thuparamaya” where the third relic (collar bone) of the Buddha is housed (which Tharanga mentioned yesterday):
And finally, the “Great Ruvanweli Seya Dagoba”, with it’s impressive wall of elephants:
The dilemma of whether to be thorough and finish with the well-respected archaeology museum was made when we arrived to find it closed. Inside, I breathed a small sigh of relief.
We headed back via the outdoor swimming pool-cum-bath:
A lotus pond (shame the flowers weren’t out):
To a well-earned rest.
Tiring and long, but a good day – glad we made the effort to come.
BOTD:
