Anuradhapura again

 Our Driver + Guide Ranga had arranged the Services of a local guide just for us, he was a close friend of his . “We can save on the Ticket money as he knows many people inside and we can sight see for free” said Ranga…though we were not sure whether there really was a fee to be paid anywhere. We ended up paying a hefty Tip to him though (of which Ranga may have probably pocketed a good 30 – 40%)….

Recycling Lotus Blooms is a flourishing trade

A traditional canopy for Candles and Oil Lamps  

 That is anyways is taken for granted here. As one of the local shopkeepers once told me that at every place your guide takes you, he is sure to have a Commission due . With few shops available inside you have to buy whatever is needed at the outskirts. So when we bought a few bottles of mineral water from a shop at an exorbitant price, Ranga managed to pocket a bottle for himself free of cost.. 

The famed Moonstone..replicas are available at many local stores

With so much to see you can literally spend an entire day here, the main sites being the Stupas, the Bodhi tree, the Royal Palace, the Moonstone and the Brazen Palace. The Stupas are referred to by the locals as "Dagobas", a plagiarized version of "Pagoda" but am not sure which one came first. 

Flower offerings can be bought outside the premises, this itself is a flourishing trade here as in all religious sites. We were lucky to see a Marriage procession in progress, not sure whether photography would be allowed I handed my camera to the Rangas friend who turned out to be a great shutterbug.Walking in the hot sun barefoot can be a really taxing experience 

A marriage ceremony in progress

To quench our thirst midway during the tour we approached a Coconut vendor…should have probably asked the price before starting to drink but when she asked me to pay Rs 70 for the Coconut I was almost at the verge of abusing her…thankfully Ranga intervened and she reduced this to Rs 50…you can get this outside at local shops for Rs 30..and during off season it even comes down to Rs 15 said Ranga

The Old Stupa where the Buddha relic was kept 

 This older Stupa had its Dome damaged some time back due to a lightning strike. It was never repaired and has since been abandoned as it leaks during heavy rains. The Buddhas belt which was originally kept here has since been relocated to the newer Stupa which has a better seating capacity and more amenities . All sermons and teachings for the Monks have since been conducted from the newer Stupa

There are few eateries around and looking at the ambience you would rather give it a miss. We arrived at a shanty type Hotel late evening …..few options available so we ordered an Indian Dosa, which turned out to be good eventually. Ranga meanwhile had arranged a few Avocados which were sumptuous and came at a reasonable price

Stupas like these are manifold and you eventually lose interest in photographing them