Friday 1st February 2019
So, we woke up to the expectation of the missing bag being delivered. After some to and fro, the bag did materialize and was brought up to our room. This was a great relief and I was able to change into some cool clean clothes for our outing today. We met Mendis in the lobby at about 9.40 p.m. which was a bit past our scheduled departure time but not too bad considering the circumstances. We loaded up his van and started off towards Dambulla which would be about a 4 hour drive from the hotel.
We passed through some small towns and villages which were generally busy with markets and streets lined with small stores and businesses. Mendis talked about the country and his history while we drove. He told us that the bitter war between the Tamils and the residents Buddhist Singhalese had lasted for 30 years. It had been caused, (as usual) by the British, who brought in Hindu Indian workers to pick the tea when the locals, who had been treated very badly by the British, effectively went on strike. The Tamils (Hindu) who mostly lived in the north of Sri Lanka, essentially wanted to take over the country. Eventually their leader was discovered at Jaffna in the north and killed by the security forces bringing the war to a close. The country is now trying to unify as a single state accommodating the 74% of Buddhists, about 14% of Tamil Hindus and the rest Christians and other religions. As a result, school children are being taught Hindi as well as Singhalese and English. This is to acknowledge as many cultures as possible in the now peaceful country. The main exports are still tea and precious stones but tourism, now that peace has broken out, is increasing fast. As usual, the expansion of tourism has both good and bad effects. It dilutes the culture of the country, makes beachside property outside the reach of normal people and causes resentment as many of those developing tourism are not from Sri Lanka,
We pressed on, stopping for supplies of water at a supermarket and for gas for the car. Just after noon we arrived at a restaurant where they served a buffet meal of Sri Lankan food. During our meal we observed a small squirrel like creature playing in the bamboo trees. It had stripes, much like the smaller American chipmunk. There was also a sighting of a water monitor lizard which I missed but we expect to see more of later.
We drove on to the Dambulla Cave Temple. This is a remarkable temple carved into the rock face of a hill and is believed to be 2,500 years old. After a steep walk up the hill to the temple we entered the three chambers where there are many started of Buddha both lying down and also sitting and standing. The ceilings of each cave were heavily decorated and the whole area was very striking. In one of the caves there was a continuous drip of water coming from the rock above. No one seems to know when it started or why the rock leaks water continuously. It was very hot in the caves and outside. After seeing all the caves we headed down hill via the steps which were patrolled by families of monkeys. We were persuaded to buy a ‘magic box’ which had hidden openings and was beautifully carved in rosewood from a vendor at the caves.
This is some Wikipedia information about the Dambulla cave temple:
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From the temple we drove the short distance to our hotel. Where to begin?? This hotel is set in 110 acres of park and farm land and has only nine rooms. It is overlooked by a tall rock mountain. We drove up to the car park where we were met by the hotel staff who transferred us and our bags to a golf cart. From here we were taken to the reception desk in a large half-open, half glass enclosure. After checking in we returned to the golf cart to be taken to our small shuttle ferry to go to our room which is on a boat in the middle of a lake!! The staff paddled the boat out to the room and we disembarked to and absolutely amazing room. There is a large bed in the middle and it is surrounded by large windows and wood paneling. There is an upstairs deck with a table where you can sit and watch the incredible wildlife in the area. The large bathroom is very well appointed. Outside is a plunge pool with a jacuzzi feature!! We could just hole up here for the duration!! It is a remarkable set up and we have never seen or stayed in anything like it.
After a rest, a dip in the pool, we showered and dressed and were picked up by the boat and brought back, via the golf cart to the restaurant which is by reception. We dined very well. MAC on a fathoush salad and seer fish and me on a spicy soup with shrimps and an amazing and all-encompassing Sri Lanka rice and curry with a huge array of condiments such as cashew, carrot, egg plant curries, chutney, dahl and others I cannot recall but delicious all of them. This was all washed down with a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon. By the time we were finished, it was all we could do to make it back to our room via the golf cart and the small ferry boat. Feeling the latent effects of jet lag we slept very well.
So, we woke up to the expectation of the missing bag being delivered. After some to and fro, the bag did materialize and was brought up to our room. This was a great relief and I was able to change into some cool clean clothes for our outing today. We met Mendis in the lobby at about 9.40 p.m. which was a bit past our scheduled departure time but not too bad considering the circumstances. We loaded up his van and started off towards Dambulla which would be about a 4 hour drive from the hotel.
We passed through some small towns and villages which were generally busy with markets and streets lined with small stores and businesses. Mendis talked about the country and his history while we drove. He told us that the bitter war between the Tamils and the residents Buddhist Singhalese had lasted for 30 years. It had been caused, (as usual) by the British, who brought in Hindu Indian workers to pick the tea when the locals, who had been treated very badly by the British, effectively went on strike. The Tamils (Hindu) who mostly lived in the north of Sri Lanka, essentially wanted to take over the country. Eventually their leader was discovered at Jaffna in the north and killed by the security forces bringing the war to a close. The country is now trying to unify as a single state accommodating the 74% of Buddhists, about 14% of Tamil Hindus and the rest Christians and other religions. As a result, school children are being taught Hindi as well as Singhalese and English. This is to acknowledge as many cultures as possible in the now peaceful country. The main exports are still tea and precious stones but tourism, now that peace has broken out, is increasing fast. As usual, the expansion of tourism has both good and bad effects. It dilutes the culture of the country, makes beachside property outside the reach of normal people and causes resentment as many of those developing tourism are not from Sri Lanka,
We pressed on, stopping for supplies of water at a supermarket and for gas for the car. Just after noon we arrived at a restaurant where they served a buffet meal of Sri Lankan food. During our meal we observed a small squirrel like creature playing in the bamboo trees. It had stripes, much like the smaller American chipmunk. There was also a sighting of a water monitor lizard which I missed but we expect to see more of later.
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| Our small squirrel friend, we were to see many more of these on our travels |
We drove on to the Dambulla Cave Temple. This is a remarkable temple carved into the rock face of a hill and is believed to be 2,500 years old. After a steep walk up the hill to the temple we entered the three chambers where there are many started of Buddha both lying down and also sitting and standing. The ceilings of each cave were heavily decorated and the whole area was very striking. In one of the caves there was a continuous drip of water coming from the rock above. No one seems to know when it started or why the rock leaks water continuously. It was very hot in the caves and outside. After seeing all the caves we headed down hill via the steps which were patrolled by families of monkeys. We were persuaded to buy a ‘magic box’ which had hidden openings and was beautifully carved in rosewood from a vendor at the caves.
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| The exterior and some of the Buddha statues inside the cave temple. |
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The area is thought to be inhabited from as early as the 7th to 3rd century BC. Statues and paintings in these caves date back to the 1st century BC. But the paintings and statues were repaired and repainted in the 11th, 12th, and 18th century AD. The caves in the city provided refuge to King Valagamba (also called Vattagamini Abhaya) in his 14-year-long exile from the Anuradapura kingdom. Buddhist monks meditating in the caves of Dambulla at that time provided the exiled king protection from his enemies. When King Valagamba returned to the throne at Anuradapura kingdom in the 1st century BC, he had a magnificent rock temple built at Dambulla in gratitude to the monks in Dambulla.
At the Ibbankatuwa Prehistoric burial site near Dhambulla, prehistoric (2700 years old) human skeletons were found on scientific analysis to give evidence of civilisations in this area long before the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Evidence of ancient people living on agriculture have been detected in this area for over 2700 years according to archaeological findings. (750 BC)
It was earlier known as Dhamballai. This was ruled by Kings like Raja Raja Chola, Rajendra Chola, etc. during their tenure in the late 10th century and early 11th century.
The cave complex is the largest and best preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock towers 160 m (520 ft) over the surrounding plains.There are more than 80 documented caves in the surrounding. Major attractions are spread over 5 caves, which contain statues and paintings. This paintings and statues are related to Lord Buddha and his life. There are a total of 153 Buddha statues, 3 statues of Sri Lankan kings and 4 statues of god and goddess. The latter 4 include two statues of Hindu gods, Vishnu and Ganesh. The murals cover an area of 2,100 m². Depictions in the walls of the caves include Buddha's temptation by demon Mara and Buddha's first sermon.
Time line of the Cave
- 7th to 3rd century BC: Early inhabitants
- 1st century BC: Paintings and statues
- 5th century AD: The stupa was built
- 12th century AD: Addition of the statues of Hindu gods
- 18th century AD: Most of what we see today
- 19th century AD: An additional cave and some repainting
- 20th century AD:UNESCO restoration and lighting ...
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| The roof deck |
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| The plunge pool |
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The room in the lake sounds beautiful. We'd love to see pictures! Glad to hear the trip is going well.
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