Amazing Sri Lanka
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Mirisavatiya Stupa
This stupa was also known as the pepper stupa because the king had eaten a pepper without first offering some of it to the sangha.
There was an interesting story at this monastery. During a break, monks were fed and certain novice was given a bowl of piping hot gruel. So hot was his bowl that he had to pass it from one hand to another. A novice nun saw his predicament and gave him a plate to hold the bowl in. The young novice simled, the nun blushed and gave a shy simle back. They exchanged a few words and parted company.
Years later, the nun went to India on a pilgrimage and stayed in Bodh Gaya. One day, she heard that a monk had just arrived from Sri Lanka and went on to meet him. During the conversation, they remembered each other from the past. This led to friendship and then to love. They both disrobed and got married.
The point of this charming story is that affection can be both strong and enduring.
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Ranmasuyana - The Goldfish Park
This is one of the most well preserved royal pleasure park in Anuradhapura dating back to the 7th or 8th century. Behind this bund is where the water was piped into the park and into the waterfall, where the king can relaxed away from the heat. Notice the beautiful carving of elephants on the 2 side of the rock.
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Monastery C
This is one of the rock carving on the stairway. It depict a mystical paradise around Mount Meru in the Himalayas, the ancient Indian Arcadia. This land was inhabited by all sorts of creatures - horse headed women, half bird half women, lions, gods, demi-gods and angels. This is suppose to be the land of carefree love, abundance food and eternal sunshine where all creature lives in harmony.
In the centre of the carving is a lion and lioness ermerging from the den. There are a total of 8 thatched huts among the trees with mongoose playing with a cobra, sages in discussion, deer and leopard living together.
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Thuparama
This little elegant stupa was built to enshrine the Buddha's collar bone. The stupa are surrounded by octagonal pillars that once supported a dome that sheltered the stupa. Being such a revered stupa, it had received attention from wealthy patrons and kings. There are many stories related to this stupa.
Once, there was 2 friends who decided to become monks. They were ordained in Thuparama. One remained there while the other decided to live in a "hard life" in a forest monastery. After some years, the forest monk decided to visit his friend in the city with the intention to invite his friend to the forest monastery.
When he arrived, he was warmly welcome by his friend and was given a room. The forest monk expected his friends to bring him a drinks and food but that didn't happened. Then they went for their alms round and he expected some good food from the alms round but had only received a ladle of gruel. When they finished eating, he asked his friend if it was like this all the time. He was told it was so.
"Why don't you come and live in the forest monastery with me?" the forest monk invited. The city monk agreed and was about to leave when the forest monk stopped him. "I need to collect my staff, my umbrella, my towel, my scandal, my oil and some other things before I leave. Don't you have anything to bring?"
"You have only been here for only one day and you have accumulated so many thing?" the city monk asked. The forest monk felt ashamed but was happy for his friend. He bowed to his friend and said "For one like you, everywhere is forest. You should remain here instead."
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Vessagiri
This is one of the loveliest place around Anuradhapura. It is a quiet and shady place with monkeys clamouring over the rocks. Under these rock caves, there are 3 rock beds which have been smoothen by centuries of use.
We found an old man who had made this stone caves his home
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Another of these caves with tree over-growing ariel roots.
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Day 7/8 => Mihintale => Nuware Eliya
Kaludiya Pokkhana
6 out of the 8 of us who had our lunch in the hotel was down with food poisoning, therefore we didn't have much enthusiam on day 7. This is a collection of ruins and the black water pond dating back to the 9 century
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These caves became monastery when more people joined the order. What remain now are ruins that tells the story of the glorious past
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Mahasaya and Mahinda Stupa
In the 2nd BC, Emperor Asoka of India sent his son Mahinda to Sri Lanka to spread Buddhism.
It was said that King Devananpiyatissa who was on a hunting trip. He saw a deer and being a hunting trip, the king naturally took aim and shot at the deer. The deer however, evaded his arrow and took flight. The king being a good huntsman went after this deer, watching as over and over again the deer evaded every single one of his arrows. Arrows that would normally have flown true and found their target.
It so happened that in his pursuit of this deer Devanampiyatissa became separated from his entourage and it was at this time that he came upon a yellow-robed monk seated beneath a tree. The king going forward reached the monk and inquired of him what he was doing alone under a tree. The monk instead of replying, asked the King three questions. These questions were put to the king by this monk in order that he might determine the intelligence level of the king before departing him the teaching.His advice to the king was this"Great King, refrain from killing the birds in the sky and the beast in the forest. All creatures have the right to roam the earth freely. You are only the adminstrator."
Mahinda died in 199 BC and his ashes was enshrined in one of these stupa -
Nuware Eliya
Ok....so much of these heavy stuff. our subsequent days were more free and easy. Most of the time, we are under the scourching temperature of 34 degree C. Hot and humild, but Nuware offers a different climate. Being on the high mountain ranges at 2524m, it offers a temperature 12 to 17 degree C. Lands are fertile and flowers are big and bright. This is where all the famous Ceylon tea leaves come from.
Nuware Eliya is sometime known as Little England of Ceylon as can be seen from the architectual designs and building in the city
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Here's why this is known as little England. The lowland of Sri Lanka was taken by the British since 1785 and fully colonised by the British from 1815 to 1948, more than 150 years.
Good Shepherd Convent - An all-girls school
A post office
British style guesthouse
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Lover's Leap
Today, we visited one of the many waterfall in Nuware Eliya. This one is known as the lover's leap as some lover's committed suicide here. This is one source of drinking water in Nuware Eliya and you will be suprised how protective the locals were of this drinking souce.
A look at the upper reach of the waterfall and it's no more than 150m high. So I decided to climb up myself as the rest of them wanted to go shopping. A big mistake! It took me more than 2 and 1/2 hours to reach the upper reach and back with only a 10 mins stay on top.
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As I climbed up the mountain for the upper reach of the waterfall, I meet this family of barefooted locals (from 10years old to 82years old grandmother) gathering firewood from the mountain. They were very friendly and laughed at me when I told them that I wanted to go to the top. The grandma laughed and told me it would take them 5 hours to reached the source (top) of the waterfall.
I told her that I just wanted to go to the upper reached and asked how difficult that would be? Without asking further, she directed her grandson to bring me up there.
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Soon, we were going up...up...up... the curvy trodden path. I had to stop, panting and grasping for air as the kind guide would frequently stop for me to catch up.
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Soon, I had to go barefooted treking along the jungle path and going waist deep into the icy cold water
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The PRIZE and the PRICE
This the the PRIZE for reaching the upper reach. Just 4 shots off the cliff.
Yeah, yeah....I know....I know...I have long sexy legs with very little leg hairs but this is the little PRICE I paid for showing disrespect for the mountain and for my big ego of "conquering" the mountain
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Day 8/9/10 Nuware Eliya => Colombo
On our way down the mountain, our driver told us that the brake is failing and he had to use the handbrake to stop the vehicle. When the vehicle finally stopped, smoke came out and the tyre caught fire. We had to pour our drinking water to put out the fire.
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While waiting for the driver to repair his vehicle, we went back to the tea plantation for our morning cuppa
Blue Field Tea Factory
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Galle Face Hotel
This hotel build in 1864 is located beside the Indian Ocean. At US$130.00 per night, it is beyond our budget but high tea is still affordable. We had our high tea here while watching the sun set.
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Watching the sunset across Indian Ocean
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Watching the sun down over a coconut juice in the comfort of Galle Face Cafe
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A lone sentry post along the coast line
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I gave up a visit to a 100 years old temple for a walk on the shoreline of Sri Lanka. This is Mount Lavina Hotel where we had our seafood dinner in the night.
