Sigiriya

Climbing Sigiriya

Today is the day I’ve been anticipating, as this is the day we are visiting Sigiriya.  It is an ancient fortress built on top of a huge rock.  We will visit it on our move to Kandy.

We had to wake early and was at breakfast before 0700.

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Arriving at Sigiriya, we walked in through the gardens at ground level.  There were many fountains, none of which were working during the dry season now.

The route was a mix of inclined walkways, brick and iron stairs.  After a while, we took a detour on a spiral iron staircase that was caged-in to ascend to a cave with frescoes of topless women of unknown identity.

Continuing, we walked past Mirror Wall which was just a brick wall covered in highly-polished plaster, now bearing some graffiti.  Back in the original times was so shiny the king could see himself as he walked past.

After a little rest on a flat plateau, we entered the final set of stairs guarded by two lion paws.  The original staircase has long disappeared and has largely been replaced by an iron one.  Historians believe that people would originally exit onto the summit plateau through the lion’s mouth.

To my surprise the walk up wasn’t as difficult as I had imagined as the monolith did look absolutely monumental from ground level.  We were helped by the fact that the temperature hadn’t risen yet and it was quite windy.  Part of the route was also shadowed.

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On top of Sigiriya

On the top of Sigiriya, at 349m, were the ruins of the palace, gardens and cisterns.  One needs imagination to visualise what it may have looked like back after 477 AD after the illegitimate son of the ruling King seized the throne and made Sigiriya his capital.

While there may not be much to see on top of Sigiriya itself, the view of the lush green countryside was awesome.

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Dambulla Caves

Back on the road heading to Kandy, we stopped at Dambulla Caves to see its cave temples.  The caves are located under a large overhanging rock.  White walls have been built up along the length and it’s hard to tell whether the temples are actually located inside real caves or just in an overhang that has been walled-up.

The complex comprises five caves which hold many statues of Buddha.  They also have frescoed ceilings.  The site is supposed to be of a similar age as Sigiriya.

We saw an internet facility at the temple.  It turned out to be ten times the street price, which was unexpected for a temple but I suppose it was also a tourist site.  Just as well it was blazingly fast.

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Continuing to Kandy

Heading towards Kandy, we stopped at a spice and herb garden near Matale where we could see the various products in their native plant state.  We also learnt about how they are processed.  While interesting, it definitely isn’t the place to buy these items.  Some jars of spices were priced at a shocking USD80!

As we approached more populated areas, starting from Matale and going towards Kandy, the scenery got dirtier and more littered.  It reminded me of rural India.  We noticed the Noritake factory on the way.

We stopped for lunch next to an Ayurvedic centre.  It was a nice lunch comporising of devilled chicken.  It seemed like a spicy version of sweet and sour chicken.

We continued to Kandy where we checked into Hotel Topaz.  It was in a strange location amongst suburbs and slums but the view was nice.  It also came with a nice pool which was kinda wasted on me in the cool highland air.

At 1715 we were picked up for a Kandyan cultural show.  The performance was very full of rhythm but low on melody and harmony.  The costumed performers were very well-trained and did all sorts of somersaults and gyrations.  This was followed by fire swallowing and walking.

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After the performance, we walked to the Temple of the Tooth Relic in time for the nightly exposition of the casing which holds the relic of Buddha’s tooth.  The temple itself was an impressive mix of wood, concrete walls and a moat which goes back around 300 years.  The newer part of the temple, Golden Canopy of the Temple of the Tooth, has gold plated roof tiles and gold decorations in the ceiling. Unfortunately, it was dark and we were tired, so we didn’t get any decent photos here.

 

 

Back at the hotel, we had a good buffet spread of mixed seafood, devilled squid, dhall, various desserts and fruit.  I was rather full afterwards.  If the meal hadn’t been included in our package, it would have cost a grand USD5++.