We took day trips to Anuradhapura and to Pollonaruwa and
to Sigiriya too. What an experience that was.
Negombo to Anuradhapura took about 3-4 hours by road. The air turned from humid to dry. As we traveled inwards from the sea to land, scenery turned from green to brown.
And our spirits – from high to higher!
Sacred City beckons.
The anticipation of reaching the first destination on our
itinerary made sure we sat wide eyed and looking out of the window the entire way.
Anuradhapura is an ancient city. The way the heritage sites
are woven in the city fabric, it very much feels like nothing much must
have changed in the years gone by.
The religious vibes are very strong in the neighbourhood here.
Sharing similar ancestry, Indians and Lankans have a comfortable camaraderie. Maybe
that’s the reason why we were asked on a number of occasions if we are
Buddhists. But then, we also went around the Stupas like locals.
Ironically, Kri was asked by a group of very excited kids to get pictures clicked with them. which she misunderstood and instead here we see her clicking them instead! ;)
The Stupa stands tall, TALL is more like it. We were mesmerized by the sheer scale of the structure. And by the serenity all around.
Fluttering Buddhist flags.
The very ingenious Diya stands. These are kept under a specially fabricated structure to protect the flames.
The cucumber seller helped us replenish the energy to go on further. Very hot these part of Lanka are! A slice of Cucumber or watermelon is very very welcome during the day.
There's a huge Step well in the city - clearly demonstrating the planned nature of the settlement even back then.
Lord Buddha's statue at another location.
Moon stone. These are elaborate carvings semicircular monolithic stone pieces set at the staircase entrance to any building of importance. whew! I am almost out of breath after the loooong description. Just as breathless as we were, when we saw these in person.
Even the Step risers were fabulously designed and executed. Details, details, details.
There are coconuts. And then there are King coconuts! These are lovely golden hued coconuts for all of our parched beings. These coconuts sweeeeeet. Like really really sweet! Available for 50-100 Lankan rupees at the roadside stalls.
This was an interesting tradition we were able to witness. All devotees help carry a red band of cloth to be tied all around the Stupa everyday in the evening. It is fantastic to see the white clothed men women and children excitedly move towards their place of worship.
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