Exploring Sri Lanka(June 2005)

Sri Lanka(means "resplendent land" in Sanskrit), it was renamed into Sri Lanka in 1972 from its previous name Ceylon.

Me and mum packed up our suitcases last summer and landed in the beautiful island of Sri Lanka. Its a lovely tropical island, with lots of greenery, some wonderfully preserved archaeological wonders.

Sri Lanka has always been one of the places that I wanted to visit, since my dad was part of the IPKF force and commanded a regiment there. It was one of the worst decision's taken by the Indian Govt. where thousands of innocent Indians lost their lives.I know it had a deep impact on the families of the people who took part in the war.

Air Tickets to SriLanka and back from Southern India by air is really cheap, might workout cheaper than travelling to other parts of india . Another positive, is that Indian citizens don't need a Visa prior to travel, it's stamped on arrival at the airport.

Colombo:
We landed up at Colombo, the commercial capital of SriLanka. There was a heavy shower that day. Here are some snaps

Colombo

Dambulla:
Dambulla is a part of the Cultural Triangle declared by UNESCO is on the main road from Sigiriya to Kandy about 19Km from Sigiriya. Its been a sacred pilgrimage site for 22 centuries, this cave monastery, with its five sanctuaries, is the largest, best-preserved cave-temple complex in Sri Lanka. The Buddhist mural paintings (covering an area of 2,100 sq. m) are of particular importance, as are the 157 statues.

The view from the top of this rock is breathtaking 350 ft. above are a series of five caves turned into shrines. In the first cave is recumbent image of the Buddha 47 ft. long, cut out of the rock. There are images of deities associated with Buddhism. The frescoes on the walls and ceiling could be dated to the 15th to 18th centuries.

In the second cave, the finest and the largest of all are not less than 150 life-size statues of gods. There are numerous images of Buddha as well. The ceiling too is covered with frescoes which depict great events in the life of the Buddha, and landmarks in the history of the Sinhalese people.

Dambulla also hosts a famous cricket stadium.


Dambulla

Polonnaruwa:

After Dambulla we drove down to the ancient city of Polonnaruwa.It was the medieval capital of Sri Lanka from 11th-13th century A.D. The ancient Sinhala rulers built vast irrigation reservoirs because of which agriculture flourished here.

Polonnaruwa


Sigriya:

Sigriya Rock Fortress was built in 477-495 A.D. The 'Lion Rock' is a citadel of unique beauty rising 200mts from the jungle.The Sigraya fortress has the world renowned frescoes of "Heavenly Maidenes" sheltered in a rock pocket.



Kandy:

Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan Kings. Many of the legends,traditions and folklore are still kept alive. We visited the Temple of the Tooth Relic.


In the evening we headed to the Peradeniya Botanical Garden

Kandy

Nuwara Eliya:
We were done with the cutlural bit of the tour and headed to the lovely hill station of Nuwara Eliya.Its the heart of Sri lanka's tea production and produces a significant share of the world's best tea.

Nuwara Eliya

Photos from this trip:

Sri Lanka:Colombo
Sri Lanka:Nuwara Eliya
Sri Lanka-Polonnaruwa
Sri Lanka:Kandy
Sri Lanka:Dambulla

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