My
trip to Sri Lanka began after I had explored much of the Buddhist heritage
of India, the land where Buddhism took birth. Before, the trip actually
started, I was little unsure of what to expect from the trip but after
paying a visit to Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Nalanda, Kushinagar etc, I was more
than willing to extend my trip for few days and visit Sri Lanka, a country
where Buddhism is at the centre of religious life.
I boarded a flight from Delhi and arrived at Bandaranaike International
Airport. As I had made my bookings at last minutes, I was very doubtful, if
someone from the hotel will show up on time, but, there he was, standing
with a placard in his hand. He introduced himself as Lucky and informed me
that he would be with me throughout the trip. Lucky was not his original
name, it was just for the convenience of the western visitors who found his
real name bit problematic– Muhandiramla
Since this was my first trip to the island country, I wanted to know a lot.
As we sat comfortably in the car, Lucky, began to introduce the land to me.
He told me a lot during the journey to the hotel which took over an hour,
but I was particularly interested in what he told me about Buddhism. ‘Sri
Lanka’, he said, ‘was amongst the first places that accepted the
new faith. Also since not many people in India are Buddhists, Sri Lanka has
the distinction of being the one of the oldest Buddhist countries in the
world.’ ‘The tooth relic at the temple of tooth in Kandy is one of
the most revered Buddhist relics in the world.’
This little piece of information filled me with more anticipation. I was
now all the more eager to explore Buddhism in this country.
The numerous Buddha statues on the streets of Colombo further enhanced my
anticipation from the trip. The hotel I checked into appeared good and the
room was comfortable. I ate and then slept.
The next day, early in the morning, we set out for Kandy which is at a
distance of 116 km (72 miles). We crossed Sapugaskande, Henarathgoda
Botanical Gardens, Cadjugama, Neludeniya, Dedigama and Kegalle to finally
reach Kandy. The views enroute were spectacular, but unfortunately, there
was no time to stop and admire them. Passing through the Kadugannawa Pass,
the entrance to the city, we reached the Kandy lake, on one side of which
stood the Temple of Tooth or the Dalada Maligawa. ‘This is’, Lucky
said, ‘ Sri Lanka’s most important Buddhist temple. Apart from
being home to the tooth relic, the temple was once also the symbol of
Sinhalese identity and pride – whoever had the relic had the right to
rule the land.’
We passed through the security checks, it took time, but then it also gave
an opportunity to admire the temple’s fine complex of white, hip roofed
buildings set against the densely wooded backdrop of the Udawattakele
Sanctuary. The striking golden roof seemed all the more impressive as the
golden rays of sun fell on it. As we entered inside, I was in for a
surprise. The temple is not huge, infact, it is pretty modest in size. There
is just a single courtyard, right in the centre of which stands the
extensively embellished Tooth relic shrine itself. The relic is safely kept
in a room upstairs, but to my dismay, it was not open for public display in
general, only some of the most important visitors could catch a glimpse of
it. I was little disappointed, but then, there was a lot to explore further.
Also, I was told that the room will open for a puja ceremony later. I knew I
had to be a part of it and conveyed the same to my guide. He nodded in
agreement.
For
now, Alut Maligawa, at far side of the courtyard was our next stop. Buddha
of varying sizes and style graced this New Shrine Room. Upstairs Shri Dalada
Musuem had, on display numerous items ranging from colonial documents to
antique jewelleries. There was an extra charge for entering this museum. The
National Museum, immediately behind the temple also charged an entrance fee.
On exhibit here were royal regalia and pre colonial artefacts. Next, we
visited the Kandy Garrison cemetery, Audience hall, Raja Tusker Museum and
the Archaelogical Museum.
The devalas or the three of the cities four principal temples were our next
halt. Lucky showed me around the Pattani Devala, Natha Devala and the Maha
Vishnu Devala. The deity worshipped in the second of the three is the most
purely Buddhist of the four deities worshipped in the devalas. Maha Vishnu
Devala had a splendid collection of colourful shrines. Also, it provided me
a wonderful view of the Temple of the Tooth.
Leaving the devalas behind, we proceeded to explore the temples west of
Kandy. The rolling hills around Kandy house numerous Buddhist temples but we
were headed towards three fine temples that stood pretty close to each
other. It took us more than an hour and half to reach the temples. Enroute,
we stopped at a restaurant to have our lunch. The service was not very
prompt but the food itself was satisfying. Lucky was more than happy to have
his lunch as he had skipped his breakfast in order to reach the hotel early
and start the journey.
Stomach filled, we proceeded on our journey. The three temples that we
visited predate the city of Kandy itself. The northermost of these
Gadaladeniya Vihara has a marvellous stone structure as its main shrine.
Lankatilake Vihara, a few kilometre further south sat atop a hill. We had to
climb a long flight of stairs before we reached the dragon arched entrance
of the main shrine. This shrine is the largest one in the entire area. The
Kataragama Devale was another 3 km ahead in the village of Embekke. What was
strikingly interesting here was that the wooden pillars are exquisitely
carved, however, each one of them is a unique work of art, that is to say no
two carvings are alike.
