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New Year in Sri Lanka

27 May 2008 • Travel time: with 28 April 2008 on 15 May 2008
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New Year in Sri Lanka

Approximately two years ago, at an international tourism exhibition, I saw a small stand of one exotic, virtually familiar to many since childhood, but in fact completely unknown to us. Squeezed between numerous "monsters" of tourism, the modest exposition of Sri Lanka did not attract much attention of the visitors of the exhibition. So I ran past, throwing into a swollen bag, grabbed on the go, a modest avenue, glancing indifferently at the faces of two dark-skinned men representing this country.

Who would have thought then that in just a couple of years I would have to rummage through my entire library in search of this little notebook - a prospectus. Sri Lanka is the name that this country has had since 1972. It is better known to the general public under a different name - Ceylon.


Terrible pirate ships, unexpectedly appearing in front of merchant ships filled with gifts from India, the "pearl" of the British crown. How many riches did not reach the metropolis, how many sailors lost their lives here, off the coast of Ceylon. From adventure novels on this topic, you can make up a whole library.

The world-famous Ceylon tea, spices, magnificent silk fabrics, better known to us from Indian films in the form of bright outfits of heroines - "saris".

But Ceylon is by no means India, although it is very close. Hinduism is much less widespread here than Buddhism, the main religion of the country. At the same time, Ceylon is not China, although the "Mecca" of Buddhism - Kandy - is located here. Ceylon is something completely different. And yes, he has a different name. The country is officially called Sri Lanka - "Beautiful Land", translated from Sinhala, the language of the "titular" nation.

The second largest community of the island is the Tamils, who glorified Ceylon throughout the world with their struggle to create their own independent state in the north of the island. This struggle turned into a civil war that has been dragging on for more than twenty years, now subsiding, now exploding with terrorist attacks by the Tamil Tigers and retaliatory bombing of the northern regions by the government, that is, the Sinhala army.

The conflict has so permeated all spheres of society that even the history of the island, written by the Sinhalese, is very different from the Tamil version. So, according to the official, Sinhala, version, the Tamils ​ ​ formed as a community around the thirteenth century, while the first representatives of the "titular" nation appeared on the island as early as the sixth century BC, arriving from northern India.

Hence the "caste", so common on the "mainland".

An already far from rich country spends a significant part of its meager budget on the maintenance of a huge army, naturally bloated. Or maybe this is what the military themselves need? We'll find out in a couple of hundred years. In the meantime, just like in that song from the movie "The Diamond Arm".


There are few people of the long-term military conflict, so "the whole covered with greenery, absolutely the whole" island in December 2004 was hit by a tsunami caused by a powerful earthquake off the coast of Sumatra. According to official figures, thirty-eight thousand people died and six thousand went missing. To get a true picture of what happened, you need to multiply these already terrible numbers by at least two. The picture turned out to be unhappy.

But in life everything is so mixed up that only now, having returned from Sri Lanka, I begin to understand what kind of fairy tale I happened to be in.

That thin notebook - a prospectus from the exhibition, in the end, was found and turned from a virtual set of photographs into a beautiful reality.

This time it was not a cramped Boeing, but a spacious French Airbus, which landed in the middle of the night at the airport of Colombo, the largest city of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

Yes, socialism is being built in Ceylon. In between the terrorist attacks of the separatists and the retaliatory actions of government troops, between numerous holidays and visits to temples - Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Christian. The choice is large. Some strange kind of socialism is obtained. Unwonted. And who knows what it should really be.

Sri Lanka is like another planet for us. And involuntarily you begin to prepare yourself for the role of a pioneer, a kind of astronaut, mastering a new, unfamiliar world.

However, this feeling disappears immediately after landing. Ordinary standard airport. Not too big, but not small either. Medium sized terminal filled with Duty Free shops. All are open, only the sellers in them are fast asleep. And what do they do at three in the morning. In addition to the passengers of our flight, we could not find anyone else in the building.

Sri Lanka is one of the few countries where you can book a private tour at very reasonable prices. I'll explain in more detail. You are provided with a car with a driver-guide and a mandatory program that he must complete. This type of tour in Europe costs at least five times more. Why, at least for a short period of time, not feel like a rich foreigner, almost a millionaire.

At the exit from the terminal there is a large group of guides with posters. Here is my last name. Let's get acquainted. A young dark-skinned guy, neatly dressed and well-groomed. It appears to be Asanka.


The last syllable is breathy. You don't say your last name. I couldn't even read it on a business card. Well, a name is enough for communication.

We go outside. The guide tells you not to move anywhere, but he himself follows the car. While he walks, I look around. Private cars drive up to the entrance to the terminal, sometimes, very rarely, taxis. But in general, everything is as usual. Usually, but not really. The sidewalk, stretching along the long terminal building, is, as it were, divided into two unequal parts. The first one, where I was told to stand still and not move, is no different from the one at any airport in the world.

But a little further away there is an invisible border, as if separating the West from the "third world". She is not guarded. At least I did not see a single policeman or military. There is not even a separation barrier. But the people who crowd on the other side do not cross this border.

If the visitor accidentally crosses the "red line", he will immediately feel the "charms" of another world. It will be surrounded by a crowd of locals offering excursions anywhere, and hotels for every taste, and taxis, and many other kinds of services at very low prices.

However, there is a positive element to this whole affair. These people are not intrusive and after the first refusal they offer nothing more. Unlike taxi drivers in Rome, Paris, London, and the rest of Europe. Excursions are also real, like hotels. The only question is the quality of service. But for a single tourist, short of money, this is a kind of solution to the problem. For now, I will stand behind the "red line", especially "everything has already been paid for. "

The international airport is located thirty kilometers from the center of Colombo and you have to go not along the expressway, which simply does not exist, but right through the densely populated suburbs.


On the way we met two "sights", quite "fresh". A week before my arrival, another terrorist attack took place in the Colombo area. The Tamil Tigers set off a powerful explosion during the grand opening of a marathon race in a crowded area. As a result, many people died, including the Minister of Transport.

That there is some Sri Lankan minister. At one time, the "tigers" got to Rajiv Gandhi himself - the Indian prime minister. It was revenge for the fact that he sent the troops of his country to help the Sinhalese. Before leaving, I learned about the explosion in the suburbs of Colombo, as well as the fact that the government army, in response to this terrorist attack, killed fifty Tamil militants. We drove near the place where the explosion occurred. This was my first attraction seen in Sri Lanka.

Now about the second.

Tourists who have been here talk about the "peculiar" manner of driving cars by local residents. After about half an hour of driving through the dimly lit and completely empty streets, a crowd of people appeared ahead of them, surrounding a truck lying upside down. How did he manage to roll over in this narrow alley. My guide did not even pay attention to this "attraction", he calmly drove around the accident site and moved on.

The worst forebodings came true. Everything that was written about Sri Lanka - martial law, constant terrorist attacks, dashing drivers who have no idea about the rules of the road - turned out to be true. But there is nothing to do. We must move forward, and there we will see.

The first impression of the hotel is grandeur. The lobby was fantastically sized and sparkling with unreal cleanliness. The light from huge, oddly shaped chandeliers was reflected in the gleaming marble of the floor and walls.

Fountains, flowers, lots of sofas, armchairs, inlaid tables - all this luxury instantly made me forget the first impressions received on the way from the airport. Perhaps the decision to travel here was not so hasty. Let's see what will happen next.


A few minutes of communication with doll-like girls dressed in purple saris, and the key, or rather a magnetic card, from the number in my pocket. Yes, here you need to have good sports training. To get to the room had to overcome a long way. Behind the lobby, covered with a glass roof, was a courtyard, also of enormous size, with fantastically shaped vases, about two human heights high, and original chandeliers the same as at the entrance, only even larger.

But, even entering the room, I realized that the hike was not over yet. At the entrance - a room with amenities.

A long corridor stretches from it to the living room - a kind of art gallery. So, before each trip to the toilet, you’ll still think about whether it’s worth going to such a distance.

But, despite the stylish chandeliers, vases and other details of local color, the hotel is a kind of island of Europe and the United States, or rather, an example of world globalization. Was it worth going so far?

I wanted new impressions, and I got enough of them by going on my first walk around Colombo.

After passing through several doors, one of which opened automatically, and the other - by a doorman who greeted everyone in and out with the same - "Good morning, sir / mum! " and, passing a complex system of entrances to the hotel, you find yourself on Galle Avenue, which stretches along the coast Indian Ocean. But the desire to inhale the smell of salty sea water turned out to be impossible.

The space between the street and the ocean is densely built up, and a railway line runs along the very shore. The hotel is located in the city center, which is usually an additional plus and, accordingly, affects prices.

Here in Colombo, things are a little different. The country lives under the constant threat of terrorist attacks. And there are also "good neighbors" nearby. The block that separates the ocean from my hotel is home to the US and British embassies, a sweet spot for terrorists of all stripes. The district also houses several ministries and the office of the President of the country. In general, there is only one “high society” around, from which ordinary tourists only have problems.

The avenue is beautiful. Buildings of the so-called "colonial style" side by side with modern towers of hotels and banks. But this is if you look from the bottom up.


And having descended to the "sinful earth", you find yourself in a different world, which reminds you that the country is in a state of war.

On this day, Saturday and New Year's holidays, the street was completely empty. Only occasionally cars and "tuk - tuki" - a local version of a taxi - passed by. Against this background, a huge number of military men clearly stood out. Almost every house was guarded, and, apparently, especially important objects, and there are eighty percent of them, were supposed to be heavily guarded. That is, a real observation tower, like in a prison, and two soldiers - one upstairs and the other downstairs. What defended the latter is difficult to say. We see the tower itself.

Actually, all this security did not impress. The soldiers are short, thin, dressed in uniforms at least two sizes too large. Apparently for greater intimidation of the "insidious enemy", the street was blocked from time to time, but it was also somehow strange - first one side, then the other.

And then the verification of documents began.

Officers already predominated here, more solid and well-fed than their wretched subordinates. So, in zigzags, bypassing the barriers, and they are permanent here, one part fixed to the lampposts, and the other - on wheels, I managed to get to the embankment. Along the way, I came across a railway bridge, which, as a particularly strategic object, was surrounded by pillboxes made of sandbags. Only small loopholes were left, from which the barrels of machine guns stick out.

Galle Avenue in the continuation still goes to the ocean, turning into an embankment. This site is called - Galle Face Green. The embankment is small, four hundred meters long. At this early hour it is filled with people jogging in the morning.

Later they are replaced by a different kind of audience. Although according to official statistics in Sri Lanka there are only eight percent of the Muslim population, when you go out onto the embankment, it seems that there are all of them one hundred.


Until late in the evening, the promenade is filled with portly mothers in long black dresses and scarves of the same color, covering everything except their eyes, and even then not always.

When Colombo was still the official capital of the country, here, on the embankment, there was a parliament, the old building of which still stands on the shore today, gradually falling into decay. And that red field between the promenade and the highway, judging by the old photographs, was bright green. And the lights were all on.

And tonight it is twilight here and the black dresses of mothers with many children merge with the darkness of a tropical night.

Approximately in the middle of the embankment, in the dense greenery of a tropical park, one of the oldest and most prestigious hotels in Colombo "Taj Samudra" spread its wings. Inside - the brilliance of gold jewelry and the cold flickering of the crystal of huge chandeliers.

Here is the liveliest place on the embankment. Until late in the evening, if the military does not block, numerous kiosks are open. These catering outlets offer basically the same product - crabs, squids and other similar seafood - not only for food, but also in the form of souvenirs.

The opposite, northern, part of the embankment passes into the old English district - Fort. It starts with three modern skyscrapers occupied by offices. One of these buildings houses the Bank of Ceylon, the country's main bank.

The fort is the main historical part of the city, a symbol of the colonial development of the country, first by the Portuguese, then by the Dutch and the British. Once this area corresponded to its name, that is, it served as an outpost in a chain of defensive structures. Today it is the commercial center of Colombo, and of the whole country.

The architecture of the buildings here resembles London in its central part and, just like in the English capital, the direct beautiful streets of the area are filled with numerous offices, banks and airline offices. This is the only area of ​ ​ Colombo where there is no mixture of styles and only Europe dominates.


You can't say that about the rest of the city. But in this farce of East and West, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, Europe, the Near and Far East, there is a certain charm. I got to the Fort area not from the embankment, which is the closest, but from the opposite side and only the next day.

On the very first evening, I decided to get to the end of the promenade, where three new skyscrapers rise. On the embankment it was as usual - immense mothers in black dresses with a bunch of kids of different ages. Sarees did not come across here. Approximately in the middle of the road, I sat down on a bench to admire the riot of the Indian Ocean.

About five minutes later, a soldier came up to me - a goner and, for some reason smiling, said that the area had been declared a closed military zone, and I had to leave it immediately. And, indeed, around was empty. The entire promenade audience was blown away in a matter of minutes.

And the most interesting thing was that the way back to the hotel was blocked. It remained only to move forward towards the Fort. So I came to three skyscrapers - the original goal of this walk. Three streets began here, also blocked. There was no further road. Although why? Despite all the barriers, traffic along the highway, stretching along the embankment, did not stop. Only I could not figure out where all the cars had gone when they reached the skyscrapers of the Fort.

I had to go back to the depths of the closed zone, where I was soon stopped, but not by a soldier - a goner, but by a well-fed officer.

After checking the documents, he offered to stop the "knock-knock" and volunteered to do it himself. Seeing the officer, these local "taxi drivers", of course, slowed down, but for some reason everyone suddenly forgot where one of the most famous hotels in Colombo is located. Apparently the people with the army is not such a simple relationship.

Putting me into the finally stopped "taxi", the officer said that the promenade would open in five minutes, as planned. Couldn't he have said it before?


As I found out later, the reason for all this farce is the departure of the President of the country from the palace in the Fort area. Where he went I do not know. Judging by the explanations of my guide, all these checkpoints along Galle Avenue serve to protect my restless neighbors - the US and British embassies, as well as the administrative top of Sri Lanka, located in the district. Here is the hotel in the center.

Speaking of the president.

In 2002, Norway brokered a ceasefire agreement. The leaders of the LTTE, the "Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, " agreed to a proposal to grant the Tamils ​ ​ broad autonomy in the northeastern part of the island within a single state. It seemed that the conflict was resolved. However, in the fall of 2005, Mahinda Rajapakse, a hardliner, was elected president of Sri Lanka, rejecting all agreements.

The conflict resumed and even became even stronger than before. There is no end in sight to this bloody confrontation, despite the fact that the Tamils ​ ​ actually control the northern and eastern provinces of the island and even declared them an independent state. The results of this confrontation can be experienced in Colombo.

True, it seemed to me that all this mess with blocking the streets and checking documents is more aimed at protecting the president and his entourage than at establishing complete security for all citizens ..

Many mistakenly consider Colombo the capital of the country. Actually it is. Here is the residence of the president with the entire security system, as well as the government of the country. The official capital of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, the city of Sri - Jayawardenepura - Kotte - I spell, let the Russian-speaking Ceylonians forgive me, if I'm wrong - it is located fifty kilometers south of Colombo, in fact it is its suburb.

Here, in the new capital, the parliament is located, for which in the middle of the lake, on the island, a new original building was built. Don't forget about the Supreme Court.

In my opinion, in a country with a low standard of living, permanent martial law and a host of other problems, there should be other priorities. But, as elsewhere, the authorities, first of all, serve themselves.


I had no special desire to see the new capital, and the program included a tour of Colombo with a personal guide. The city, of course, is unusual. In addition to the ocean facade, there are several picturesque lakes connected to each other on its territory. One of them, Beira, was right behind my hotel. But in order to get to him, it was necessary to overcome two checkpoints, where the documents were checked very seriously, not making any allowance even for foreigners. Having lost about fifteen minutes to go through a hundred-meter lane leading to the lake, I finally found myself on its shore and then a surprise awaited me.

In the fence surrounding my hotel, there was a door that opened to the same lake. And moreover.

Here, throughout the day, there was a person who opened it, letting in and letting out everyone. So it only took me a few minutes to get back.

And one more problem. In Colombo, you can not photograph military installations. Logically. But not only army bases are considered to be such here - but how to define it, but almost the entire city.

Founded by Arab traders, then fortified by the Portuguese, conquered by the Dutch, rebuilt as an imposing capital by the British, Colombo is a city of old colonial past and a lively business center of the present. On the one hand, this is the heritage of the Portuguese, Dutch and English, which makes itself felt in temples and monuments, names and religions, clothes, food and a superficial knowledge of their languages.

On the other hand, these are modern buildings of noisy commercial and shopping districts, and 5-star hotels with nightclubs and casinos.

It is the amazing mixture of cultures and religions, times and peoples that left their imprint on the unique image of the city, where old colonial-style mansions coexist with both skyscrapers and ancient oriental temples.

The population of the city, which is about one and a half million people, is very heterogeneous, both religiously and ethnically. Therefore, there are so many Buddhist and Hindu temples, Christian cathedrals and mosques.

The most famous temple of Kelaniya Raja Maha Vi [fhf is a fine example of Sinhalese architecture. The modern building was built at the beginning of the last century. The frescoes that adorn the walls tell stories from the many lives of the Buddha. The ancient temple is 9 km away. from Colombo. Here, since 1927, the Durutu Perahera festival has been held in January in honor of the visit of the Buddha to the temple in the eighth year after enlightenment.


A grand procession of elephants, drummers, dancers, acrobats and fire-eaters turned the procession into one of the most colorful processions of its kind.

As for the Hindu temples, this is, first of all, Katiseran, which is dedicated to the god of war Skanda. The Christian cathedrals of Colombo, at least the ones I have seen, are in excellent condition. The largest of them are the Cathedral of Saint Lucy and the Church of Saints Anthony and Peter.

Being next to India, the second, and perhaps even today the first, most populous country in the world, the island of Ceylon occupies a special place in the politics of the superpowers. Especially in recent times, when the pace of India's economic development has sharply increased. In my opinion, Sri Lanka, from a political point of view, plays the same role as, at one time, Cuba played for the Soviet Union. Therefore, the great powers seek to increase their influence here.

We have already recalled how many people from Sri Lanka studied in Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv. But the Soviet Union, and now Russia, has a strong competitor - China. An example of this country's special attitude towards Sri Lanka is an expensive gift - the Solomon Bandanaraike International Congress Center. This huge building is even a little big for Colombo, although in recent years the number of international events held in Sri Lanka has increased markedly.

Seaport of Colombo. At this word, the plots of old adventure novels come to mind - sailboats loaded with bags of tea and spices, pirate ships, treasures hidden somewhere here in the mountains. The port turned out to be the most ordinary, the same as thousands of others. But the area located nearby takes us back to the past.

Petta. Port area.

In the program of my stay in Sri Lanka, a sightseeing tour of Colombo was planned, where, after visiting the main attractions - temples, mosques and the Congress Palace, half of the time was devoted to shopping.


The organizers of the tour meant visiting large shopping centers - "Majestic City" and "Liberty Plaza", the department store "Odel Unlimited", as well as boutiques of the "Mlesna" chain - exclusive sellers of Ceylon tea. All these shops are a typical western mall - a set of expensive private shops and an obligatory large supermarket. I suggested that the guide take me to Petta instead. Oddly enough, but it took a long time to persuade him. In the end, the guide agreed, although it was clear that he did not have the slightest desire to go there.

Located next to the Fort and being its complete opposite, the Petta area is the main bazaar of the city. Each lane here has its own specialization.

For example, household goods are sold on Keyzer Street. Prince Street is known for glassware and mirrors. In Gabo lane, Ayurvedic doctors buy medicinal herbs. There are jewelry shops on Sea Street.

There are also vegetable and fish markets.

Petta's main street is called Main Street. Before we had time to stop, a swarthy hand stuck out through the open window of the car, the owner of which persistently offered to buy from him a watch, not simple, but branded - "Rolex". Everything would be fine, but the price is painfully suspicious.

After dropping me off right in the middle of the Main Street and explaining that you can return back to the "Tuk-tuk", the guide quickly left. Main Street is a wide street built up with old neglected buildings, the upper floors of which seemed uninhabited, although, most likely, someone lived there - such areas do not disappear in a poor country. The lower part of the houses is a continuous row of shops, auto repair shops and, suspiciously, eateries.

There are no sidewalks, and instead there is a continuous row of tuk-tuks waiting for passengers.

The largest and relatively clean stores sell men's clothing, mostly shirts, and they have more sellers than goods. Despite the New Year holidays, the street is filled with a motley crowd, most of which are Muslims in traditional dress. The picture is the same as on the embankment. Only one small difference is the complete absence of women. And not a single foreigner.


As if a fabulous time machine threw me at least a hundred years ago. Or maybe two hundred. No, it's not all that much. After all, “knock-knock” is a relatively new invention. I took advantage of it, feeling like a completely foreign body in this area, causing increased interest. We went to "Odel Unlimited", leaving this oriental shopping experience to the more thrill-seekers. I will not talk about modern shopping centers.

They are the same as everywhere else and, as my guide said - "We do not have Dubai", referring to their very modest size.

My stay ended in the cosmopolitan city of Colombo. Late in the evening I made the final tour - a tour of my hotel. In the lobby, somewhere in the corner, a pianist in a tuxedo was playing blues on an antique black grand piano. Disco tunes blared from the bar. Going out into the courtyard, you find yourself in a tropical garden, in the far corner of which, where there are gates overlooking the lake, a pool flickered with illumination, empty at this hour. And between it and the hotel building there is a system of ponds full of fish. Numerous, colorfully lit bridges lead to small restaurants and bars scattered throughout the courtyard. And soft music comes from them too.

The mirror elevator took me to the third floor. From above, from the room, the courtyard of the hotel.

in the evening, sparkling with a scattering of lights, it looks like a huge mirror, which reflects the tropical starry sky. Tomorrow we will leave this strange, unusual city with a guide and go inland. Oriental fairy tale is just beginning.

Sri Lankan roads

Early in the morning, Asanka was already waiting for me in the empty lobby at that hour, dozing in a deep armchair. Today we have a big, local scale move. Dambulla, the city where we are heading, is located 148 kilometers from Colombo. By European standards, about two hours drive. But Sri Lanka is not Europe. There are no expressways here, the roads are narrow and they pass through densely populated areas.

Our slightly battered Nissan, bearing the emblem of my host company, moves through the streets of Colombo. The lower floors of the houses on both sides of the road are a continuous chain of shops, auto repair shops and, as we used to say, "service enterprises".


The buildings are capital, but, in general, the impression of a booth is created. A dilapidated house is adjacent to a brand new elegant, with a facade of tinted golden glass. And right next to it is a smoke-covered wall of a car repair shop, and then a mirrored showcase of a Toyota store.

We have been driving for more than an hour, and the city does not end. I ask the guide. It turns out that we have long passed Colombo and its suburbs and are in the interior of the country, moving north. And the market stretches on both sides of the road. Villages and towns pass from one to another and it is impossible to determine where the border between them passes. I look out the car window at this unfamiliar world and, at the same time, I try to understand the local driving system. Why, with such chaos on the roads, are there so few accidents here?

First, I'll tell you what "knock-knock" is. I have already mentioned this word more than once, talking about Colombo. There are almost no taxis in Sri Lanka, in our understanding.

Except for the few cars that I saw at the airport on the day of arrival. "Knock-knock" is the local version of the taxi, the modern version of the rickshaw - a first-generation one-running human force vehicle. In the second, it was already moving with the help of a bicycle, and today the grandson moved to a scooter. So they rumble through the streets, justifying their name.

The scooter is equipped with a cabin for passengers with a roof, but open on both sides. During rain, these windows are closed with a special curtain, like the driver's cab. The number of "Knock - knock" is huge and the competition between them is terrible. Fare prices are very low, but they can be knocked down with a little bargaining. As in other similar areas of activity, it has its own laws and its own mafia. In Colombo, for example, this business is entirely in the hands of Muslims.

"Knock-knock" is one of the main destabilizing factors on local roads.


Traffic is on the left side of the road and these "mini-taxi" usually ride on the edge or side of the road. But, seeing the client standing on the right side, "Tuk-tuk" sharply crosses the whole road, not paying attention to everything that moves along the highway - cars, trucks, buses, whose drivers slow down, while maintaining amazing calmness. As for my research, I think the main reason for the low accident rate against the background of the general farce on local roads is, oddly enough, the culture of driving.

In Sri Lanka, the driver, leaving the road, does not feel like a "king", the only one on the highway. He is a member of the movement, an equal of equals. But, despite these compliments, I do not advise foreign tourists, without special need, to engage in extreme sports here - to drive a car. Not that mentality. And Asanka and I continue to move north.

And Asanka was already driving into the parking lot, located near the huge, covered with gold, Buddha.

Dambulla cave temple

At the entrance to this, one of the holy places of Buddhism, a golden dome, installed right on the ground, is still visible from afar. Between it and the building of the religious college there is a parking lot and a platform where the process of preparing for the ascent to the shrine takes place. From here begins the ascent to the cave temple. Leaving the shoes below, you need to overcome about three hundred and fifty steps. You walk on stones, hot by the sun, the air temperature is thirty plus, the humidity is close to one hundred percent.

But all these inconveniences are forgotten as soon as you find yourself at the end of the ascent. A huge black mountain hangs over the upper platform, along which an elegant white building stretches, framing the entrance to the temple, or rather to the caves. There are five in total. So many entrances.

Above each is an inscription that this temple is owned by the Order of Buddhist monks. The caves themselves are more like an exhibition hall. Here is the world's largest collection of Buddha statues, among which there are specimens more than two thousand years old.


The feeling of being in a museum is complemented by frescoes that adorn the walls and ceilings. They also have a very respectable age, but are in excellent condition, despite the years, the climate and the many lamps filled with oil and incense. In the left cave, the frescoes depict the main moments from the life of the Buddha - birth, renunciation of royal life, enlightenment, seven weeks after enlightenment, reading the first sermon, and going into the bliss of Nirvana.

Those who are interested in Buddhism more thoroughly, I refer to the specialized literature. We will go to another temple, the newest one.

Maha Alut Vihariya - The Great New Temple was built, compared to the rest, recently, in the eighteenth century, by King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe - the last ruler of Kandy. This cave contains one of the largest sculptures nine meters long - the Sleeping Buddha, as well as thirteen statues of Buddha in the lotus position and forty-two statues of the standing Buddha. Of course, the ceiling is decorated with frescoes. On them - a thousand images of the Buddha in a state of meditation.

From the platform in front of the complex of cave temples, a magnificent panorama of the mountain range, located in the center of the island of Ceylon, opens up. Even Adam's Peak is visible in the haze, where, according to legend, Adam and Eve lived after they were expelled from paradise. Today it is a place of pilgrimage for Christians, despite the fact that several other countries consider their territory the place of the first stay on Earth of this married couple.

For Buddhists, Adam's Peak is also a holy place.

They go up there to bow to the rock with the footprints of the Buddha. From the same platform in front of the cave temple you can see our hotel in Kandy. But they are waiting for me there tomorrow. And today, after admiring the small pools with lotuses that believers bring as a gift to the Buddha, we go down. We finish the tour at the same parking lot, surrounded by many monkeys, completely tame, who are engaged in their traditional business - begging.

New Year on the shores of Lake Amaya

I have to spend tonight in another hotel

Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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Hundreds of hotel reviews of all popular resorts are presented to your attention.You will learn the whole truth about hotels "first hand".The opinions of real tourists about hotels and resorts will help you make a decision about choosing a hotel.Read reviews of tourists - use the experience of other travelers!