Ancient Cities and Sacred Steps

Sri Lankan Christians claim it to be the spot Adam landed after being cast out of the Garden of Eden. Buddhists claim it is the point were their lord stepped off this earthly plane and up into the realm of nirvana. Hindus, not wanting to be excluded, believe it to be the foot print of Krishna. The place is Adams Peak or Sri Pada....a peak rising 2,243 meters into the clouds and capped by a mysterious foot print left in stone at the peaks pinnacle. Which ever myth you care to believe (or not) the place is undeniably breath taking and a great place to go to clear your head

Needing to move on, Radka and I have been venturing on from Kandy to the ancient cities of Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya as well as to the afore mentioned Sri Pada.
Sri Lanka's ancient cities are one of Asia's most valuable archeological treasures. Only recently unearthed, these lost cities tell of a highly advanced and artistically gifted people.

After the Cholas of south India invaded and sacked the ancient Singhalese capital of Anuradhapura, they headed south establishing their capitol in Polonnaruwa. When the Singhalese returned to power in the 11th century and kicked the Cholas off the isle, they retained the city as their capitol. Ruins of temples and palaces nearly 1000 years old attest to the relationship between the kings and the teachings of the Buda. Seven story palaces coexist next door to massive brick dome monasteries, Dagobas (temples) and relic shrines. One ancient stone tablet’s inscription goes as far as to say that a non Buddhist aspiring to the throne is the equivalent of a “worm aspiring to become a cobra and a firefly, the sun”. No separation of church and state here. The highlight of the site is Gal Vihara, a perfectly preserved grouping of Buda images carved from the same enormous chunk of granite. The cluster includes a seated Buda, a 7 meter tall standing Buda and, the most impressive, a 14 meter long reclining Buda sublimely captured slipping into nirvana. The delicate folds of the Buda’s robe, subtlety of his facial expression and the small depression in his stone pillow all attest to the superior artisans of ancient Lanka.

The story of Sigirya is a bit different, if none the less impressive. The Lion Rock, as its name translates, rises 200 plus meters straight up and out of the dense surrounding jungle. It is known, among other things, for it’s amazingly well preserved frescoes dating back 1,600 years! The subject mater of these frescoes makes them, probably, the worlds oldest surviving “pin-ups”. Topless depictions of the king’s harem adorn the walls leading up to what was the palace fortress on top the rock. This guy was obviously a serious player. Sexual indiscretions were the least of his moral issues though. After all, he built his fortress to take refuge from his brother after killing their father and taking over the thrown (he, himself having no legitimate claim to it, being the child of the King and a member of his harem). As the story goes, he bricked his father into a cave, literally sealing his dome. Fearing retaliation (and rightfully so) from his brother, he headed into the jungle and proceeded to build a 5th century bachelor pad/ fortress on top of Lion Rock. His brother headed off to India to rally the troops and eventually returned to extract his revenge. When the big day came, instead of staying put in his unreachable hideout, he led the charge down the hill, mounted his elephant, attempted to out flank his brother’s men and , unfortunately for him, took a wrong turn right into a swamp were he ended up taking his own life. I’m sure his laborers wished he had done it sooner….before he forced them to carry stones up the shear side of this rock to build his palace on a foundation of guilt and paranoia.

Our most recent sojourn took us on a pilgrimage of our own to Adam’s Peak, although we were more in search of the spectacular sunrise that awaited us than the mysterious foot print. To reach the peak in time for sunrise, we left the warm bed of our cozy guesthouse in Dalhousie at 2:30 am to begin the treck. We thought we were in shape. We thought we had climbed a few hills before. Ha! There is not much that can prepare you for climbing nearly 7 kilometers worth of steep steps in the dark and then, finally, in the rain. Every aching muscle (still) in my body was worth it. We reached the summit shortly before 6 am and took refuge along with the pilgrims from the wind and 7 degree C temperatures. First light came at around 6:45, an eerie blue glow slightly illuminating the clouds of swirling fog. As the sun rose to reveal more fog enshrouded peaks in the distance and the monks began drumming and chanting their sacred texts, we really did feel as though we were suspended up in the heavens. The dagoba at the base of the peak appeared as little more than a spec below us. Foreheads were pressed to the footprint three times, as is the custom, and we looked on at it in wonder. We hung out admiring and photographing the ever evolving scenery below us for a bit longer before it was time to make the descent. With the sun growing stronger, burning through the fog, and our calf muscles growing weaker by the step, we attempted to let our momentum carry us along. We celebrated our arrival at the base a few hours later by taking a side trip to a beautiful waterfall to wash up and cool off. A small breakfast was warily consumed before sleep finally consumed us. No matter your theistic inclinations, Sri Pada will connect you with the divine in a supreme way.

We are now back in Kandy, still awaiting Radka's visa to India (Fun With Embassy’s Part 8). If all goes according to plan (hehe.), we should be out of here and on our way back to India just before our Sri Lankan visa is up. I’d say wish us luck but we seem to be doing alright in that department.

PS- my sincerest wishes to you all for a healthy, happy and prosperous 2005. Try to
appreciate every day of it! Btw…my new years resolution is to get back in touch with all these long lost friends that have some how found their way to this site. Hope to see you soon. XO-->tee…