srilanka buddhism – Harrytinkers travelog

adventure activity, Srilanka, things to do

Bentota

Posted on February 12, 2021February 2, 2021 by harrytinkers

Bentota is a beach town in Sri Lanka and if you are beach baby then this is a place which you will love. We chose bentota because all five of us were beach crazy and wanted to wend the last two days of the bachelorette relaxing near the beach and that’s what we did.

We were really lucky to have visited Sri Lanka just after the Bomb blast incident and there were merely any tourists in the place where we stayed. It was scary to think that we were the only tourist in the whole coastline near our resort, but frankly speaking we loved the experience of having the whole beach just for us.

Madu Ganga

Madu Ganga is the second biggest wetland/ Backwaters in Srilanka

The Madu Ganga is a shallow river in the south-west of Sri Lanka, which flows into the sea at Balapitiya. According to the story, there are 64 islands in the Madhu Delta, and most of them are submerged and only 25 islands are reported out of which 15 islands have a larger land mass.

It has a high ecological, biological and aesthetic importance, home to 303 species of plants from 95 families and 248 species of vertebrate. It is the last remaining tracts of unspoiled mangrove forests in Sri Lanka.There are crocodile and other reptiles in the river so you have to be careful.

Some of the islands are inhabited and all are covered with forests and shrubs. One of the larger inhabited islands, ‘Koth Duwa’, has a Buddhist temple that dates back to the days of the oldest kings of Sri Lanka.

The main source of income for the locals of the Madu Ganga (River) region is the cinnamon industry. The fresh cinnamon is brought here to be peeled. This also means that here cinnamon can be purchased at the best quality at reasonable prices. They also explain the process in detail which was very interesting to watch.

Those who are not in the cinnamon industry live from fishing of River safari as occupation. The fishermen sit either on large branches, which are planted in the water and get fish with sticks. Or they bind nets between the branches that are planted in the water to catch fish.

An interesting thing to be visited of the area is the Open-Air Fish Massage. The fish massage is quite popular around the world, especially in East Asian countries. The unique factor about this massage is that the fish are held in their natural environment, the river. A large space is sectioned off by nets tied between poles; restricting the fish from leaving that area. Other than that, they are free to move around. The client simply sits on a pier and dips his or her feet into the water.

The mangroves form a very intricate formation with its dried branches which attracts most of the social media friendly tourists. Some places look spooky because of the branches and also you can have a sudden visit from the reptiles as well.

We also got to witness a place where the backwaters meet the ocean.

If this is your first visit to a mangrove you would love the experience and want to visit more

Turtle Hatchery

Sri Lanka is really famous for its turtle conservation project and we also got an opportunity to visit one. We visited Ahungalla Sea Turtles Conservation Project. It was so mesmerising to see the baby turtles. Some of us were also got to hold them and they are damn heavy.

We also saw some adult turtles who were rescued from the sea being stuck with the material waste we humans throw in the sea. It was really overwhelming to see how polluted and unbearable we humans have made the sea for these innocent creatures.

Stop littering the sea and your surroundings it’s a humble request from us. We are meant to preserve the nature and not ruin it

Bentota is a perfect place to relax and enjoy the nature in Sri Lanka
Harrytinkers

Srilanka, things to do

Kandy palace

Posted on January 23, 2021January 18, 2021 by harrytinkers

The name Kandy has been derived from the Kandyan empire which ruled Sri Lanka for almost four centuries. We all wondered why this place is called Kandy, and all our doubts were cleared after visiting this place.

The Kandy Palace is also known for the temple of sacred tooth relic, wherein the tooth of lord buddha was brought in by Princess Hemamali and Prince Danthakumara and thereafter preserved here. It is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country.

There is an entrance fees of 1000 Sri Lankan Rupees. We were so exhausted travelling the whole day that we were actually not interested to go inside. But our Guide insisted us to visit this even if we are tired and we are so glad that we did.

The palace garden is grand and in between one would find statues of the brave souls and famous individuals of Sri Lanka. The Kandy lake besides the palace is beautiful and relaxing at the same time.

The entrance also known as the Mahawahalkada, welcomes you with this beautiful and intricate stone carving which amazed me as an architecture lover.

So I researched about it and it’s called the Sandakada Pahana, also known as Moon-stone, an elaborately carved semi-circular stone slab is a unique feature of the Sinhalese architecture and is usually placed at the bottom of staircases and entrances.

The palace is huge and is divided into various areas to perform different activities.

As soon as you enter the palace premise, there is a stairway which leads you to the sacred tooth relic temple, the hallway and the entire temple interior is painted white, which symbolises purity.There is a tunnel passage which is inticately handpainted, something which i was extremely mesmerised.

Ornately decorated golden inside; the temple is magnificent and so peaceful. You can find the Buddhist five colour flags along hallway with huge elephant tusks guarding the main chamber where the relic is placed on a gold lotus flower and enshrined inside a nested seven layered jewelled casket.

On Kandy annual festival this casket is paraded around the streets of Kandy on the back of an elephant (sacred animal of Lord Buddha). The main shrine is a two storied building.

According to legend, there was once a severe drought and the Tooth Relic was taken out of its shrine and a great procession was held for seven days. This ended the drought and started the tradition of the Perahera Festival in Kandy thereafter.

This precious relic attracts white-clad pilgrims, bearing lotus blossoms and frangipani mostly on Wednesdays. Every Wednesday there is a special ritual performed in the temple which attracts plenty of devotees to the temple. On Wednesdays, there is a symbolic bathing of the relic with an herbal preparation made from scented water and fragrant flowers. This holy water is believed to contain healing powers and is distributed among those present.

We were so lucky to have visited on a Wednesday, and witness this special ritual. The flowers offered by the devotees are beautifully and symmetrically decorated on the golden platform in the front of the main temple also the whole complex is wonderfully scented with flowers and incense. Rituals are performed three times daily: at dawn, at noon and in the evenings.

the music usec in the video is the religious tune played during the ritual

The Magul Maduwa or Royal Audience Hall, constructed with finely carved wood, is where the king met his ministers and carried out his daily administrative tasks. The building was also known as the “Maha Naduwa” or royal court which was utilised for religious and national festivities connected with the Kandyan Court. This building pretty much reminded me of Temples in Kerala with sloping roof with shades of brown being the prominent feature.

We next headed towards the building adjacent to the temple. The golden decorated, magnificent hall inside has a Golden buddha statues along with the paintings of stories of how the tooth relic was brought to Kandy.

Then on our way to the museum we saw a buddha statue which was gifted by India as a sign of friendship for the 2600^th anniversary of enlightenment of Buddha.

Talking about the museum its beautifully made and maintained and I must say the presentation is also aesthetically appealing. The museum consists of artifacts, weapons, costumes of Kandian era. Also, there is a separate section for Buddha statues and their representation in different countries. I must say that this is one of the most beautiful museums I have ever visited. I was really mesmerised by the glittery golden decoration on each and every art of the display. Photography is prohibited here.

Next to the museum there is a huge building known as the Rajah tusker hall which beholds the stuffed remains of Rajah, A national treasure of Sri Lanka. He was the chief elephant for 37 years who carried the sacred casket during the annual festival in Kandy. Thanks to Taxidermy Rajah looks alive in the museum.

The last attraction near the palace building is the ancient fountain which was constructed by the coffee planters on the visit of Prince of Wales Edward & in 1873. Its built in the shape of a coffee flowers and is said to have manufactured in Glasgow and later assembled here .

Tips : Its a religious place so short clothes are not allowed carry a sarong and jacket while visiting religious placex in Sri Lanka. We were not aware of this fact but luckily we all usually carry a jacket and a dupatta with us.

The Kandy palace will take you to the history of Sri Lanka in a luxurious way
Harrytinkers

Srilanka, things to do

Dambulla cave temple

Posted on January 15, 2021January 7, 2021 by harrytinkers

Dambulla cave temple or the Golden temple of Dambulla is Sri Lanka’s largest preserved cave temple. It is a world heritage site in Sri Lanka situated in Dambulla. Its approximately 160-metre-tall rock towers has almost 80 documented caves, among which only 5 are open for the tourists.

It’s the largest and best-preserved cave temple in Sri Lanka which has 157 statues. The cave is famous for its Buddhist mural paintings covering 2100 m²area. It’s also sacred pilgrimage site for 22 centuries and is well maintained.

The golden buddha statue is visible from quiet a far distance and it has a museum alongside. When we visited the face of the statue, which looked like a defect earlier later we realised its bee hive. This museum and statue is was bult much later.

There are Buddhist flags on the left side as soon as you enter. The five colours of Buddhist flag signify six coloured rays, viz., blue, yellow, red, white, orange, and the combination of all these five colours emitted from his body during his fourth week of enlightment.

Also, the first structure is the golden stupa, which is a Buddhist temple and thereafter you see the big golden statue.

The stairway to the cave temple is steep and there are close to 364 steps and the pathway is covered with trees from both sides and the steps are uneven so you have to be careful. Also, you will be interrupted by monkeys here and there. You will also notice few vendors selling flowers and some prayer items.

The entry fee is 1500 Sri Lanka rupees per person.

The entrance of the temple looks like an ancient Dravidian temple. These cave temples are very well preserved and their maintenance is done time to time. The uniqueness of the temple lies in the fact that its carved by the monks out from rock.

The arched colonnades are one of the most unique and heritage features of the temple. Major attractions are spread over five caves which contain statues and paintings of Lord Buddha and his life. Buddha images were first to be painted here 2000 years ago, then subsequently the king added to and embellished the art furthermore.

I was really fascinated by the intricate and delicate paintings that cover the ceiling and walls, created with traditional vegetable dyes. The intricacy of the painting is commendable and the more you explore the more you will be fascinated. Especially, the detailing on the feet of the enormous buddha statue in the first cave. The statue of buddha is 14 metres tall and is carved out of stone and repainted occasionally. For an art and history lover like me, I was spell bound by these paintings.

The view from the top of the temple is as beautiful and scenic as inside the temple. After visiting these cave temples, you would definitely appreciate the talented monks who have put together the effort to create such a beautiful cave temple.