One of the most notable places to
see the splendor of Buddhist culture would be the medieval city of
Anuradhapura. It was founded sometime in the 5th Century and was the
capital of Srilanka for almost 1400 years. The city has a multitude of
monasteries housing 1000+ Monks and has since become an important seat of Buddhist
learning. There are several important
and historical monuments worth seeing here and a casual tourist would need a
full day to check out all of them. A stay here while on your tour would be
recommended.
Our entourage landed here at 11am,
a most inopportune time. And we spent a better part of the day walking under
the hot stifling sun. Our guide Ranga recommended we book the services of one
of his friends whom he mentioned was very resourceful and well known. He would
not only show us around but ensured that through his contacts we could avoid
the Entry fee…..we only needed to be a bit more liberal towards his own fee
post the sightsee.
The problem with Anuradhapura is
the sites are spread over a few acres of land and to walk in the hot humid
climate may well leave you dehydrated even if you have the services of the best
guide at your disposal. While visiting some of the shrines you need to remove
your footwear and then walking even a few 100 meters on the White Hot Floor can
be a challenge even for the likes of Bear Grylls. And again there are no hotels or stalls where
you could buy even bottled water once you are inside the premises…
There are many interesting monuments to check out
but from amongst the more prominent is the “Rice Bowl” in a Refectory. With so
many monks around Anuradhapura it would have been difficult for them to sustain
by begging so some of these more prominent monasteries started having their own
dining rooms. The Maha Vihara Alms Hall was constructed in the 3rd
century AD by King Devanam piya Tissa, spacious enough to seat a few 100 monks.
The open paved rectangular courtyard was once surrounded by a pillared verandah
during its heydays. The monks probably sat on mats on the floor. Drains had
been provided at the periphery for washing and cleaning post the meal. The more
prominent sight here is a massive stone trough made of several pieces of stone
fitted together perfectly. Steaming rice was poured into these Rice Boats as
the monks queued patiently for their fill. This particular trough would have
held enough rice to feed 3000 monks at a time, a feat to be recorded in the
Guinness Book!
Another interesting artifact was a coffin
shaped stone carved slab, a bit like a modern day bath tub lying close by. Herbal
remedies in Sri Lanka go back thousands of years and this one was on the same
lines. The patient’s body was bathed in herbs and spices depending on his
ailment. The treatment used to flush out impurities from the body, and could
also have been useful to reduce obesity as well as excess fat and in the
treatment of skin diseases.
The sacred Bodhi tree is a direct descendant of the tree
under which Buddha attained Nirvana in India. In the 3rd century BC, it was brought to Sri
Lanka by Sanghamitra, the daughter of Emperor Ashoka . It was planted by
King Devanampiya Tissa on a
high terrace above the ground in the Mahamevnāwa Park surrounded by railings. Monkeys
are a major nuisance here and the area flocks with them, you need to be careful
of your belongings as you move around
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