Ancient Sites 2 Anuradhapura and Minintale

Earliest version written in Colombo
Gini (Lakmini Lodge) arranged a tuk-tuk lift by the same pair to Dambulla, 1500rp, the tout disappeared on other business when we arrived after asking for a tip to put us on the right bus (two routes one much longer). In fact it was the tuk-tuk driver who put us on an a/c express bus and give instructions on setting us down near the old bus station. Left to our own devices we would have made that journey by local bus at a cost 72rp for two. Guest House owners and a tuktuk driver work in tandem, the driver brings in guests who are looking for a place to stay and the owners provide him with an excellent service in terms of travel locally, here for travel to ancient city sites. Sometimes this 'you scratch my back I'll scratch your's gets in the way even in the best run places, in  this case Lakmini - the best guest house of our holiday. 

Four hours later we were hiring a tuk-tuk driver to take us to Lake Wave 2, a superb location by the lake shore and a guest house still under construction with currently seven rooms, two including ours on the second story were a/c rooms and will soon there will be three and eventually eight. Upali currently runs Lake Wave 1, which is rented whereas he owns this one, and he is on track to make a considerable success. boosted once the large communal downstairs room is complete.

Lily Beds from Lake Wave 2

A wonderful room downstairs facing the lake and surrounding fruit trees. The drawback of this lovely site on the edge of the lake full of lotus water lilies was mosquitoes. Joan was intrigued by the birds who walked around by stepping from one lotus leaf to the next. It is currently being enclosed in glass and will therefore less open to mosquitoes, who currently do their damage through any bits of clothing without repellent.

SUNRISE

SUNSET

 A major fascination was photographing the lovely affects of sunrise and sunset, all started by the enthusiasm of a German with a 42X zoom Nikon who got some fantastic shots of the moon.

Our First Floor Bedroom

There was no mosquito problem whatever in the bedrooms, providing the huge windows are kept closed. Another very comfortable almost new bed, the lack of hot water was no problem since by mid afternoon it was warmer than we wanted due, to the roof site of the cold water tank. There are no curtains yet in our bedroom since Lake Wave 2 is still under construction so they economised by setting the a/c in the bedroom at 30C which was no help whatsoever. I found a way of changing the aim temperature by allowing it to complete its current cooling cycle, then switching it off for a short period during which the aim temperature could be lowered by the temperature change button, though it was not until restarting immediately after shut-down that the new lower aim point could be seen. It seems common to have a fixed aim temperature no doubt to limit costs but typically these are 24C which is OK.

We decided we wanted a rest and took the rest of the day as break and an opportunity to relax and read. That would leave us with two days, one for the ancient town of Anuradhapura and the other for Mihintale, as rightly advised by Wolfgang. Finishing the holiday, or so we thought, with just 1.5 nights in Colombo.

Final posting 13 March from The Tamarind Tree Hotel


Upali greeted us like long lost friends with a hug, he is genuinely friendly, he boasted of playing soccer until 35 though he later in a guessing game with guests he admitted he was now 53, with two sons the eldest of whom had been in Japan for 8 years, the younger who Joan thought was good looking had his 23rd birthday the day we left after 3 nights at 3500rp. 

UPALI & JOAN

We rested, read, and got bitten for the rest of the first afternoon, and then got bitten again through our clothing during dinner in the large open room downstairs. It was served at eight but with three separate tables and a fixed setting of multiple mostly vegetarian dishes, there were a few scraps of chicken in a curry of that name, definitely not in the Lakmini class for food. Nevertheless as Wolfgang had promised we got a fine welcome from Upali and his wife and youngest son (30) and a couple of other helpers.

Upali told us of his scheme for getting his guests taken around the extensive sites of the old city for several hours by tuktuk for 5500rp without having the expense of buying entrance tickets alone at 3000rp (25USD) per person. He arranged for the tuk tuk & guide. The tuk tuk drivers seem to go where they want without being asked for tickets whether this is entirely by private arrangement or not I leave you to make up your mind. The size and spacing between sites must make it difficult to police in comparison with say Sigiriya which has a single through route, cyclists are able to take advantage of the same policing problem at zero cost.

ANURADHAPURA
We had our second excellent guide after Sigiriya, which is virtually essential to making sense of such a large widespread site as this and an understanding of the history, even the dates. It seems the original city was set up as a kingdom in around 500BC and then the king was converted to Buddhism in about 300BC. Later continual series of invasions from India caused their overthrow  but the kings re-established themselves around 900AD but still under they moved their capital to Polonnaruwa around 1100 AD

Perhaps because we had insufficient time to visit the various local museums it was not until a few days later in the excellent National Museum in Colombo that we were aware of the fine bronze sculptures etc which were created from around 900AD. 

These sites were largely ruins, without any great height and completely without the original wood superstructures, for instance of the Brazen Palace. Being UNESCO sites they were charging European prices marked in USD usually 20$, 25$ or even 30$ for Sigiriya. To get the most out of them a good guide was essential, usually in today's Sri Lanka this meant 2000+rp. In both entry price and guide expectation this is far far higher than elsewhere in Asia. 

RUVANWELISIYA DAGOBA

Dagobas were built to store religious relics in earlier days you could enter but now they have been sealed to avoid theft.

Surrounded by life size Elephants

Religious Meeting

MONKEY OPERATES DRINKING TAP

In parkland near Dagoba there was obviously a religious meeting led by man seated in middle.

Monkeys have obviously watched human operating the drinking water tap and decided to help themselves.

 

BO TREE

The revered BO tree is believed to come from a cutting from the banyan tree in Bodhgaya in Northern India under which Buddha was enlightened. It is protected by gold railings.

A Moonstone step

Abhayagiriya Dagoba being restored

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TWIN PONDS

Relics in Thuparama Dagoba include Buddha's right collar bone.

There are twin ponds, the second slightly smaller one behind is hard to distinguish on this photo.

Water was gravity fed a great distance to these ponds and on arrival sediments were removed in a trap before water entered the ponds.

The second site of wall paintings, not sure where either were situated. Note Ganesh the Hindu God

Ceiling Painting

THE HARE FLIES OFF

These two pictures tell a story which always fascinates Joan.
There were three animals, a fox, an otter and a hare, who decided to spend a day of fasting. The fox could resist eating a mouse, the otter saw some fish being dried by the roadside and equally couldn't resist, but the hare kept his fast. 
As the hare went along the road he saw an old man, who said 'Do you have some food I am very hungry' and the hare said 'if you take a few twigs and light a fire I will find you some food' As the flames licked round the sticks he jumped on the fire and said 'now you can eat me'. But the old man grabbed him and flew off with him to the moon.

The old man was in fact Buddha in disguise,  and said 'people will always remember how well you kept your fast, because whenever they look in the night sky they will see you, the moon-hare.

MIHINTALE
If I had to chose just one of the sites to visit it would be Mihintale, not just because it is far cheaper at 500 rp each, but also because it is old, compact and well maintained and given a good guide very interesting too. It was the place where Mahinda converted King Devanampiya to Buddhism in 246 BC
 
Upali again arranged the taxi driver who was different but equally as pleasant as the one before.

Tuk tuk driver

Guide TURANGA and Joan

We had planned to have Rua as guide as recommended by Wolfgang but in the event he was not available so Turanga met us on his motorbike at the first site, The Hospital, instead. All this as Joan told a sheepish tuktuk driver was arranged by them by mobile phone, funny how guides keep appearing out of the blue. Anyway he was excellent both in terms of English and in terms of knowledge. He was an official guide wearing the official permit and said he had got 49/50 marks in the guides examination being incorrect only when asked a how Buddhist monks drank in ancient days, he had forgotten they had mugs.

Turanga although now married to a poor girl and with a 3 month old baby was still bitter about a previous girlfriend of 4 years standing whose rich parents would not allow her to marry him, she eventually married his rich friend. He was obviously still bitter about what he had seen as his chance to move up a class or two.

THE HOSPITAL 

The ruins include a temple in the middle of the complex probably where there are pillars

Overview of hospital

Bath for treating Back Problems

Grindstone used or preparing medicines

THE UPPER MONASTERY FIRST

There are 1840 steps at Mihintale, enough to rival Sigiriya, though  you avoid half because the tuk tuk parks there.

REFECTORY

RICE TROUGH

The refectory had to feed 3000 monks hence the size of the rice trough, there were small built-in boxes at each end to hold the curry. Nearby was a Conversation Hall with 48 pillars and the rules of the monastery including an English translation which I photographed.

LOOKING DOWN to QUINCUNX


The Quincunx consisted of five rocks, used as chambers for important monks or small dagobas for burial 

RAMPANT LION SHOWER

Gravity fed water sprayed out of the lion's mouth as shower.


SACRED CENTRE after PAYING the 500rp

BUDDHIST FLAG

This Buddhist flag was designed in Sri Lanka in 1885
Turanga had a single word for each colour which I can no longer recall. More complex meanings on Googling, something like
Blue     = Respect
Yellow = Avoid Extremes
Red      = Achieve
White   = Purity
Orange = Wisdom

The gold figure is Mahinda, Indian King Ashoka's son whom was sent by his father to Sri Lanka where he converted King Tissa to Buddhism by restraining him from killing a deer and telling him  'all animals live this earth we should not kill them'.Mahinda was thus the one who first brought Buddhism to Mihintale and hence Sri Lanka in 243 BC.

LEVER MONKEYS AGAIN

 Although monkeys cannot swim they never pass up a chance of food. Here is one sitting on a rock trying to pieces of bread throw as fish food and succeeding.

Mahaseya? Ambasthala? Dagoba

SMALL 'working' MONASTERY

After the main site he took us to his favourite place a quite different one, a short drive and a moderate climb away. Here the monks were traditional in their habits, living simply with meditation and prayer. 

Unlike the monastery in the Sacred Centre which we did not visit, they did not expect tips. but also went on to explain such monks could afford it, as they came from wealthy families, and had decided to lead austere simple lives of devotion to Buddha. He explained that poor families sent their children to monasteries to be educated, he was one case, though without gaining any qualifications which hindered them in their choice of work outside the church. He would like to move up the scale but could not for lack of qualifications of jobs.
In in addition to fluency in English he demonstrated his fluency in French by speaking with a lone passing tourist couple. He told us that he could speak several languages including German and Italian and said he was now trying to add Russian.

Back at Lake Wave 2
Upali showed a less liberal side when talking of the Tamil problem saying the civilians had run into the arms of the advancing army as a sign they knew how good the Singhalese were, as they shelled the last concentrations of Tamil Tigers and trapped civilians! He spoilt it completely by saying that he was prepared to accept the Tamils as friends but he displayed a vehement hatred of the Muslim population of Sri Lanka. The carefully cultivated 'friendly' persona of Upali waned rather for both of us.

Our taxi driver to the airport from Colombo fed some further insight into the Tamil problem when he said that the root of the problem went back to1956 when the then PM a few years after independence from Britain in 1948 made Singhalese the only National language thus denying higher education to the Tamils who, he confirmed, had been predominant in the Civil Service in the days of the British. He felt the British had encouraged all sections to live together and like many others believed that there would have been no conflict with the Tamil Tigers had the British remained in power. 

Interestingly having been a banker he was now the Sri Lankan coordinator of a scheme whereby doctors from Guy's Hospital came as a party to undertake difficult heart operations and also to provide operations for the poor. This was funded by individual citizens and his aim was to get each and every citizen to contribute 1rp to the exercise. He was currently looking for a coordinator in London to organise the missions with the doctors from Guys and felt he had got one in a Mr Davis who was coming to Sri Lanka shortly.