We left our “resort” at 9am on the road to Polonnaruwa the second capital of Sri Lanka ruled by King Vijayabahu after the destruction of Anuradhapura by the Southern Indians, it was the longest serving capital city of Sri Lanka in 993
This part of Sri Lanka is a climatic dry zone, it receives little rain.
On the way we saw our first car accident! I’m perplexed at how it took this long to see one, the driving is crazy here. Anyway, it seems the police are avoided at all costs if an accident occurs. The legal system is unbelievably bureaucratic and it can take a very very long time to get any resolution. So car insurance companies sort it out. They have mobile assessors that go to accidents and approve repairs, much quicker and simpler, as long as everyone has comprehensive insurance, it gets tricky when some one only has 3rd party insurance.
We learnt that there are 4 wild life parks in the area, and about 3000 to 4000 elephants in the area. In August it is the time of the gathering of the elephants. You can see over 1000 elephants in one close area. Elephants come from all around, they can travel between 10km and 50km per day. They can travel up to half the length of the country to get to the gathering.
They are Asian elephants, it goes that they were good mountain climbers, and moved easily through the highlands. This didn’t fit well with the British, they killed all the elephants in the southern Highlands. One commander killed over 1700, same guy was killed by a lightening strike, some say it was karma. Elephants are now concentrated in 3 or 4 areas across the country.
There were three main turning points in Sri Lankan history, the Indian takeover of the north of the island, the Portuguese settlement (they removed the Muslim traders from Sri Lanka) and British colonisation. It was a combination of all three that saw Buddhism survive and thrive in the country.
Around 10:10 we arrived at the ruins of the Parakramabahu Palace. It was destroyed by the southern Indians in the early 13th century. The Palace was 7 storeys tall and avery grand building, c9nstructed under the reign of King Parakramabahu (known as the King of Elegant Arms).
Next we saw the The Polonnaruwa Vatadage, an ancient structure dating back to the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa of Sri Lanka. It is believed to have been built during the reign of King Nissankamalla (known as the Bluffing King) to hold the Relic of the tooth of the Buddha. The sacred relic chamber was portable sand housed inside central stuppa along with auspicious 9 objects. During the Polynova period there was a heavy Hindu influence on the culture and Buddhism sculptures, Lord Shiva’s image was often blended into Buddhist iconology.
The third building we saw was built by King Nissankamalla (known as the Bluffing King). It was said to have has plaster walls 8nside that were covered in gemstones, and in the limited light inside it looked like the nights sky.
As we left this building and I was putting my shoes back on, water started falling adjacent to me. I’d heard a monkey above me so I moved quickly thinking the worst! Lucky for me the monkey had a water bottle and was trying to drink from it!!!! Thank goodness 🙂
Next we went to a place full of Buddhist iconology, a place that reminded me of the Egyptian temples of Abu Simbel, four large Buddha statues carved into a single rock in the 11th century. The first was a sitting Buddha, capturing yhe moment of Enlightenment, the second, a smaller sitting Buddha in a carved out cave, that depicts Buddha in meditation, the third, a standing Buddha, almost 23ft tall, displaying the suffering of others and fourth, a reclining Buddha, a bit over 44ft long, depicting the passing of Buddha to nirvana. Together they give a visual representation of Buddha’s spiritual journey. It was an awe inspiring visit.
From there we went for lunch, another feast of local foods. And then we went back to the resort to relax before our “special” dinner in the wine cellar.
We really enjoyed our dinner, we chose The Local Menu, all seafood based. It was delicious. To finish our evening a man playing the mandolin Came into the cellar and played a few songs just for us, special.
#retiredlyf done our way.
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