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Parakramabahu
the Great - Polonnaruwa
Another view of the Statues
of Gal Vihara at
Polonnaruwa. The standing
figure some 23 feet
(7 meters) high is believed
to represent Arahath
Ananda, Lord Buddha's favorite
deciple. The reclining
statue, some 46 feet (14
meters) is believed to be
that of Lord Buddha at the
moment of his entry
into parinibbana (death).
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King Parakramabahu
On the Southern side of the
Parakrama
Samudra (Polonnaruwa) is
a striking stone statue
of a bearded man holding
in his hands what seems
to be book (written on palm
leaves). The care-worn expression hints at royalty and popular belief identifies
it as a statue of Parakramabahu
the Great.
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Aukana Buddha
This 42 1/2 feet (13 meters)
high statue carved out
of solid granite, goes back
to the 5th century, to the
reign of King Dathusena.
On a rainy day, it is said,
that one can see droplets
of water falling off the tip of
the statue's nose hitting
the ground exactly between the toes.- a testament to the architectural
accuracy of the sculptor. Aukana is about 32 miles south-east of Anuradhapura.
Several years ago authorities decided
that the modern day pollutants
are taking its toll on
this ancient statue and
erected a brick enclosure
around and above it. To
this day, this remains
somewhat controversial.
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Fortress from
the sky - Sigiriya
The rock fortress Sigiriya,
rises some 600 feet
above the scrub jungle plain
in the north central
part of Sri Lanka. It is
this very feature that drove young prince Kasyapa, after killing his father
King
Dhatusena, by entombing
him alive, to this lonely rock
in the jungle to hide from
his older brother who was
gathering an army to retake
the throne. Kasyapa
while in self imposed exile
made his new kingdom
as liveable and pleasant
as possible by surrounding
himself with his loyal followers,
and for his personal enjoyment, what could only be described as "pinups".
These frescos are to this
day preserved in a grotto
in the sheer west face of
the rock.
The top of the rock in itself
is a marvel of
agro-engineering. About
3 acres in area, every square
foot was utilized. Bathing
pools were cut out of living
rock and every drop of (rain)
water was used and
re-used. Sigiriya (lion's
throat) was so named
because the visitors had
to go through the throat of a
lion to get to the top of
the rock.
Today Sigiriya is a bustling
tourist mecca with
world class hotels for the
weary traveler.
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City of Kandy
with the lake in the foreground
Kandy, the last capital of
Sinhala kings, nestled
in the foothills of the
Hill Country, with its beautiful
lake at the center, is the
center of traditional Sri Lankan Culture. Kandy, the anglicization of the
Sinhala word
kande, meaning "hill"
is about 1600 feet (488 meters)
above sea level and is the
favorite city of travelers
from all over the world.
The sacred tooth of Lord
Buddha is preserved here
in it's own temple
"Dalada Maligawa"
( The temple of the Tooth ) and a
replica of this holy relic
is paraded around the city,
on the back of the chief
elephant "Raja", for two weeks
every year during the month
of August. Esala
Perahera or the parade
during the month of Esala
is a spectacle not to be
missed, with hundreds of
brightly decorated elephants,
dancers and singers
from all walks of life,
who turn this normally quiet
small town to into one enormous
festival, during
those two weeks.
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Kelaniya Temple
The traditional Sri Lankan
dagoba (from which the
word "pagoda" is derived)
is a hemi-spheric or
bell-shaped structure of
bricks and earth sitting on a
square platform. At the
peak of this structure is a
tapering spire topped by
a gilded ornament. The whole structureis usually surrounded by a walled
courtyard containing statues of Buddha and his deciples,
various deities, places
to offer flowers, and large empty
area for religious gatherings.
In the same property
there generally is a sacred
Bo (peepul) tree as well.
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Isurumuniya
Lovers - Anuradhapura
Isurumuniya temple, in Anuradhapura,
built in the 3rd century B.C. is noted for its rock carvings. The best
known among these is the
"Lovers". Many a poet and
song writer has taken inspiration
from this carving to
write their masterpieces.
It is believed that the carving
may represent Saliya, and
the low-caste maiden whom
he loved. Saliya was the
son of the great
king Dutugamunu.
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Tirukoneswaram
Kovil in Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a natural
deep-water harbor,
on the north-east coast
of Sri Lanka. On the east side
of the town of Trincomalee,
on a cliff known as Swami
Rock stands one of the oldest
Kovils (Hindu temple)
in Sri Lanka. The present
day Tirukonesvaram Kovil
was rebuilt on the site
of the Dakshana Kailayam
(temple of 100 pillars)
- that was destroyed by the
Portugese in the 17th century.
The restoration work
was completed in the 1960's,
and it is a "must see"
site, for the visitors to
Trincomalee. Friday evening
Puja (offerings)
services are specially colorful.
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