A black Prius taxi, which would very at home in London, took us to Dambulla in the heart of Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle. This region is where most of the ancient ruin sites are, relics from over two thousand years of history. On the way we stopped of at Matale to see the Sri Muthumariamman Thevasthanam Hindu temple. Imagine being on the switchboard there, I’m sure you would soon get fed up of the full name and just call it the Temple. It is covered in flamboyant statues and paintings inside and out of many different Hindu deities and demons. The faithful were making offerings of flowers and ghee lamps were lit.
After asking a few tuk tuk drivers for directions, our taxi man located the Amarantha Classic Resort on the main road into Dambulla. After a welcoming glass of papaya juice a receptionist asked what meals we had in our package, since Expedia hadn’t informed them. I had definitely booked a package with breakfast, but the paperwork didn’t show it. So I had to fanny about for an hour on the internet to find the page where it said we hate a free breakfast. Gord gimme strength! Anyway I did find it, and the hotel guy seemed happy.In a slightly narky mood we we out on the road to get a tuk tuk to the Rock Temples of Dambulla, a couple of miles down the road. The temples is a major Buddhist site, and even has its own Buddhist TV station! At the entrance to the complex is a massive golden Buddha and a Buddhist museum. We followed the sign that said Rock Temple and it wasn’t the Hammersmith Odeon
Hammersmith Odeon was a cinema that was also a top venue for rock bands. These days it’s called the Hammersmith Apollo and is better known for rude comedians.
It’s quite a steep climb up a massive granite rock to the five temples that are set in a natural overhang. Some of the temples have been there since 100 BC, and the most recent was made in 1915. I relinquished my shoes and put on a sarong to cover my offensive legs. There was no admission charge, but we got latched onto by a guide who was very persistent. But to be honest once you’ve seen one ancient Buddhist temple… Once again there were many Buddha images, some of him resting, some sleeping and some when he was dead. Some were built of brick and plaster, some of wood and other carved out of solid granite.
The five temples are quiet and subtly illuminated, I enjoyed it far more than I expected to. The views at the top of the rock are wonderful. Once again the monkeys stole the show. They ran all over the place and provided lots of entertainment diving into the bins for fruit and flowers to eat.
There are not many restaurants in Sri Lanka. Negombo is different because it’s a seaside resort, but even in Colombo we had trouble finding places to eat out. So when we have been in Kandy and Dambulla we have eaten in the hotel. Also it’s damned hard to get a drink in this country! Supermarkets don’t sell alcohol, and (outside of Negombo) i haven’t seen any off licences. I’m sure it’s much better for my health, but a G&T at dusk would be really nice.
timharnesstravels 