Day 3 - SIGIRIYA/POLONNARUWA – MATALE - KANDY

Yesterday was an intense day, full of emotions, of information and new things. We are now emerged in the culture and in country. Once more we had an early B/F with a magnificent view of the lake wile the morning breeze still arise. This place is incredible quit even with guest. We had for company the curious birds and kind employees chinning the pool and the garden.
We start our journey in one of Jude’s “short cuts”. The road turns out to be incredible. A small country road in the middle of the villages with a lot of action. Since it was early in the morning we joint the small children going to school in nice white uniforms. We also saw the elephant refuges in the top of the trees because this area is an elephant runway. We did not have the chance to see one.
Arriving to Sigiriya rock fortress [5th Century AD] is truly an emotion. Sri Lankan architectural tradition is well displayed at Sigiriya, the best preserved city centre in Asia from the first millennium, with its combination of buildings and gardens with their trees, pathways, water gardens, the fusion of symmetrical and asymmetrical elements, use of varying levels and of axial and radial planning. After the first stage we see the famous Sigiriya Frescoes. The paintings would have covered most of the western face of the rock, covering an area 140 meters long and 40 meters high. There are references in the Graffiti to 500 ladies in these paintings. They would have been a breath-taking sight, when seen from the. After the Mirror Wall we get to the most significant feature of the Rock would have been the Lion staircase leading to the palace garden on the summit. Based on the ideas described in some of the graffiti, this Lion staircase could be visualized as a gigantic figure towering majestically against the granite cliff, facing north, bright colored, and awe-inspiring. Through the open mouth of the Lion had led the covered staircase built of bricks and timber and a tiled roof. All that remains now are the two colossal paws and a mass of brick masonry that surround the ancient limestone steps and the cuts and groves on the rock face give an idea of the size and shape of the lion figure. We finally get to the top. The view is breathtaking and the power of his place is enormous. The all complex consists of the central rock, rising 200 meters above the surrounding plain, and the two rectangular precincts on the east (90 hectares) and the west (40 hectares), surrounded by two moats and three ramparts. This city shows an advanced irrigation system to support agriculture. These people pursued matters aesthetic such as dancing, music, painting, sculpting and literature in spare time. This led to the development of quaint traditional customs that are so peculiar to Sri Lanka. The concept of "Wewai Dagobai" (Wewai = Reservoir, Dagobai = A Buddhist shrine) arose from the above, establishing the links between Buddhism, culture and irrigation. This place is simply magical. The sensation is overwhelming.
We proceed to Polonnaruwa; the 2nd ancient capital of Sri Lanka [10th Century AD]. Just north of present-day Polonnaruwa town, 140km (90 miles) north of Kandy, are the ruins of ancient Polonnaruwa, which date from the late 10th century, when the Chola kings of southern India invaded Sri Lanka and conquered Anuradhapura. The invaders moved their capital to Polonnaruwa, strategically located for defense against attacks from the unconquered Sinhala kingdom of Ruhuna, in the southeast (which has lent its name to Sri Lanka's most visited national park). Their defenses ultimately proved inadequate and in 1070 the Sinhalese ruler Vijayabahu forcibly evicted them from Polonnaruwa. Recognizing, however, that Anuradhapura's location made it vulnerable to any assault from southern India, he and his successors made their capital at Polonnaruwa, adding enormous temples, palaces, parks, gardens and huge tanks. By the 13th century AD, however, new waves of attacks from southern India forced the Sinhalese kings to abandon the north of the island, and the kingdoms of Kotte in the southwest (near modern Colombo), and Kandy, in the highlands, became the centers of Sinhalese power. The complex known as the Quadrangle impressed me. It stands within its own rectangle of walls, guarding the richest collection of ancient buildings in any of Sri Lanka's ruined capitals. In the southeast corner of the Quadrangle stands the Vatadage (reliquary), a circular building some 18m (59ft) in diameter, with four entrances leading to a central dagoba (shrine) which houses four seated Buddha images. There are beautiful bindings in Polonnaruwa (a few, very classical images of Sri Lanka, like the Royal Palace or the Lankatilaka Gedige). I also liked Gal Vihara, also known as the Cave of the Spirits of Knowledge; this is one of the most important Buddhist shrines. It takes the form of three colossal Buddha images carved out of a granite cliff. Most prominent is the standing image, 7m (23ft) tall, which was at one time thought to represent Ananda, the Buddha's first disciple, but is now regarded as being a Buddha image like the others. Next to it is an enormous 14m (46ft) reclining Buddha. Two smaller, less skillfully carved Buddha images occupy niches in the rock nearby. We leaved to Kandy passing true a spice garden.
The distance was long, and we arrived at dark. However we had time just to go to Temple of the Tooth Relic of Buddha, and assist to the opening of the relic. The day was over and we check in at the beautiful Amaya Hills hotel for a nice dinner and a perfect sri lankan Lion Beer. Cheers.