The orange structure in the last photo is a wall that has been built on the rock face creating a narrow walkway between the rock and the wall. The inside surface of the wall was a mirror finish that had been created by polishing the stone with beeswax and honey until it shines like a mirror. The opposite face of the rock had fresco type paintings of courtisans (bare breasted) which were then reflected onto the mirror inner wall. Unfortunately the Buddhist monks who came later we're offended by the naked images of women and had them removed. Fortunately for us there were some other images that were painted in a cave higher up the rock face where the Buddhist monks could not reach.
The rock was also a fortress to protect the king and further up the mountain we came to a huge rock that had been excavated and left perched on pillar supports. In the event of enemies attacking this was to be a last line of defence with the boulder being dislodged and falling down the hillside.
The final climb up to the summit had originally been through a giant lion's mouth and then up steps carved into the rock face. All that is left is the lion's paws as these were carved from rock, whereas the face and mouth of the lion had been made of bricks and has become derelict and lost over the centuries.
The final summer palace at the top is now just the foundations but you can still see the throne room and kings swimming pools etc.
In the foreground of the picture you might just be able to make out a chameleon, the following picture shows it clearly.
On the way down we saw a boulder that had been hewn in half to create a reception area where the king would take audiences from visiting dignitaries and also a large stone that was naturally shaped like a king cobra.
The view from the top was stupendous and clearly shows the formal gardens of the winter palace at ground level.
The climb down though easier than the climb up was still a bit scary in places.
In the afternoon we all visited the ancient city of Anuradhapura, which is still being excavated, bringing to light a very complex system of buildings and way of life of the Buddhist Monasteries in this vast holy city, which is a pilgrimage for many believers. It dates from about 5BC, and has been declared a World Heritage site. Below is a Stuppa, huge monuments which were built by ancient kings and are totally sealed. Nobody has seen inside them, but ancient tablets have been found that list all the jewellery and treasures inside.
At the very top there is a precious stone crystal, and this shines bright blue when the sun catches it.
There are also ancient buddhist religious relics such as a tree grown from a cutting from the original Bodi tree under which Prince Sidhartha meditated and reached enlightenment (nirvana). This was why he came to be named Buddha and from which the religion took it's name. The original tree in India died a few years ago, and so a cutting from this one was sent there, which is a nice touch.
At the gates and entrances to all the important buildings you find a hemispherical stone called the moonstone with two vertical guard stones at each side. These stones are intricately carved to represent the principles of the Buddhist religion often expressed and represented by four animals: the elephant;horse; lion and buffalo.
At the end of the visit we went to a derelict bath house for monks, and whilst there saw the most beautiful kingfisher that came to the edge of the pool area to fish.
Another lovely day, full of interesting things to see in good company with Ashika and Jason, and of course our wonderful driver Uncle Raja. Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Globe Trotter Inn (near Dambulla)
Beautiful! :))
ReplyDeleteGreat Kingfisher!!!!!
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