After an excellent breakfast next to the pool we said farewell to the staff at the Cinnamon Lodge Hotel and boarded our bus for the trip south to Kandy. The Cinnamon Lodge Hotel is most impressive in regards to its surrounding parklands, the standard of accommodation and the quality of meals and service. It’s just so sad to see this very large and spacious hotel practically empty, a consequence of many cancellations following the Easter bombings. We wished the management good fortune and our sincere hope that tourists will return before too long. The consequence of this drastic downturn in business is ultimately that staff may have to be laid off.
On the120 km bus trip southwards several stops were planned, the first being at the Dambulla Cave Temples.
Dambulla Cave Temple, Dumbullla
At this UNESCO World Heritage Site there are five cave temples that are carved out of a huge granite outcrop that towers 100 m above Dambulla town.
We had a fairly steep walk up to the entrance and a local guide then showed us through the temple complex.
The temples within the caves date back to the second century BC when King Valagambuha sought refuge after being exiled. When he regained his throne some fourteen years later he converted the caves into Buddhist temples in gratitude to the monks who had offered him sanctuary.
Reclining buddha, Dambulla Cave Temple
Buddhas, Dambulla Cave Temple
The temple complex comprises five separate caves each of which we visited. The caves are filled with dozens of statues of Buddha but statues of kings and Buddha’s loyal disciples such as Ananda are present too. Buddha is represented in various sizes and poses (mudras) and the walls and ceilings are adorned with paintings depicting religious and secular themes. The colours and images in some cases have faded very significantly which is not surprising as many are from 200 BC. In the small cave IV which is presently undergoing restoration there is a central dagoba or stupa which was broken into by thieves thinking that it contained the jewels of Queen Somawathie wife of King Valagambuha.
Door, Dambulla Cave Temple
Fresco, Dambulla Cave Temple
Fresco, Dambulla Cave Temple
We were particularly impressed with the massive solid doors to each of the temples. One large door was made from a single piece of timber about 150 mm thick and reputed to be over 700 years old!
Outside the temple on the main terrace area there are excellent views over the surrounding countryside and we were fortunate to have a crystal clear day enabling us to see as far as Sigirya, the massive rock citadel that we’d visited yesterday.
Our next stop on the way south was supposed to be at the Tamil/Hindu Temple in Matale but due to a misunderstanding, our guide thought that no one was interested in seeing this temple and we bypassed it.
We then visited a spice and herb garden where we had an informative local guide who told us about the growing, preparation and uses for a number of spices. Amongst the ones of particular interest that we saw growing were ginger, vanilla, pepper, cocoa, coffee, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin and nutmeg.
Pineapple, Spice & herb garden, en route to Kandy
Pepper, Spice & herb garden, en route to Kandy
Jack fruit, Spice & herb garden, en route to Kandy
At the end of our visit we were ushered into an adjacent covered area and given a fairly heavy duty sales pitch before being directed into the shop where a vast array of spices and herbal remedies and other such ayurvedic products were on sale. Some members of our group had soothing shoulder and leg massages with local herbal and spice preparations to enhance the effect.
At lunchtime we arrived in Kandy, the second biggest city in Sri Lanka. After a light luncheon we moved to our home-stay accommodation at the Thotupola Residence where the rooms are clean, comfy and have private bathrooms.
At 16:00 we were driven to a nearby hotel where, for over an hour we watched local dancers perform traditional dances in elaborate costumes. The choreography was high energy with the male and female performers exhibiting phenomenal agility and endurance. The drummers were particularly impressive with their timing and rhythmic accompaniment. All the dances had a traditional and often mystical theme and we were provided with notes to explain the significance of the activity.
Culture show, Kandy
Culture show, Kandy
Culture show, Kandy
Culture show, Kandy
Culture show, Kandy
Our group at Culture show, Kandy
The routine concluded with dances being performed outside in the hotel driveway with two male dancers juggling fire-sticks and fire ‘eating’. The highlight and finale had these two walking and dancing along a two metre fire trail.
Culture show, Kandy
We then returned to our home-stay location for a pleasant evening meal prepared by our host family.
Tomorrow we spend most of the day in and around Kandy.