Up at 0600 to start our tour today. Left Wattala and headed along the west coast of Sri Lanka traveling through all the small towns which all seem to run into each other. Its hard to tell where one finishes and the next begins. There are no highways up this way just a narrow road with trucks, buses, cars and the little 3 wheeled vehicles all vying for position on the road. We get glimpses of the ocean as we drive through very pretty countryside. The weather is nice and warm and I am starting to learn a few words of Sinhalese!!!

There are many shrines and statues along the way – both Buddhist and Christian – and it seems strange to see one place with a Buddha and the next place with a statue of Jesus or Mary. There are noticeable differences with the housing – we are seeing some very opulent residences and then seeing ramshackle shanties so am guessing there is quite a distinction between rich and poor in this country.

Our bus driver managed to get lost finding the restaurant for lunch……but apparently Anuradhapura has 19 roundabouts which confuses even the best of drivers. Added to that it is National Day in Sri Lanka today so it is a public holiday with many flags flying and pictures of the President adding to the confusion.

Being in the tropics we were warned it could rain BUT even we didn't expect the downpour we got which happened to coincide with our visit to Mihintale. Armed with giant umbrellas we then walked up the 1840 stone steps to get to the top. Got absolutely drenched despite the umbrellas and while the steps started out as well formed they soon disintegrated into literally holes in the hillside of rock!! For someone who dislikes heights I did really well – managed to climb to the top and it wasn’t until I looked down that I realised just how high it was – of course I then had to get down the mountain…… barefoot in the rain!!!



History of Mihintale

Mihintale Mountain – is known as the cradle of Buddhism and is where it was introduced to Sri Lanka in the 3rd Century BC. There is only one way up and that is via the great stone stairway: all 1840 granite steps. The first section of stairway is nice & wide. The granite rock was carved & paved all the way to the top but over the centuries has smoothed out until now there are only small footholds in some of the upper sections. All the way gangs of cheeky monkeys (which apparently have rabies!!) stare at you & picking up bananas thrown to them by the pilgrims-old & pious, boys & girls of all ages as well as the many adults who come in awe and respect. At the end of the first set of steps on the right side of the plain is a small mountain peak. On this is located the Kantaka Cetiya stupa built by King Suratissa. The 1st century B.C. stupa is 40 feet in height and 425 feet in circumference. On either side of the entrance to the Refectory are two Sinhala inscriptions engraved on 2 large slabs of granite known as the Mihintale stone inscriptions. The rules & regulations pertaining to the administrative purposes of the monastery were scripted herein by King Mihindu (956-976 AD). The very top to which I climbed is called Aradhana Gala which means Invitation Rock where it is said that Mahinda preached his first sermon.

We then headed to the ancient city of Anuradhapura built in the 3rd Century BC and it was the capital for the Sinhalese people for over 1000 years. By now the rain had stopped and we were able to view the sights, much of which is now ruins, in relative comfort. There are still some magnificent old temples and dagobas to be seen with the biggest one currently being restored but still a sight to be seen. Despite there being so many ruins it is still a magical place. The sheer scale of the ancient city is breathtaking and we have only seen a small part of it. Places of interest included the Samadhi Buddha carved from limestone in the 4th century AD. The artistry of the figure is unfortunately compromised by the recent addition of an ugly concrete shelter under which it now sits. The Ruwanwelisseya Dagoba (at 300ft is the 3rd largest stupa in Anuradhapura) and the Twin Pools (Kuttan Pokuna) Two bathing ponds aligned lengthwise exemplifying the artistic achievements in the field of hydraulic engineering in ancient Sri Lanka. They date back to between eight A.D. and Ten A.D.

History of Anuradhapura

The sacred city of Anuradhapura, now in picturesque ruins, was once a major center of Sri Lankan civilization. The fascinating ancient ruins include huge bell-shaped stupas built of small sun-dried bricks, temples, sculptures, palaces, and ancient drinking-water reservoirs. Although people may have lived in this area since as early as the 10th century BC, Anuradhapura became a great city after the arrival of a cutting from the Bodhi Tree ('tree of enlightenment'), the Buddha's fig tree, in the 3rd century BC. The sacred branch was brought to Sri Lanka by Sanghamitta, the founder of an order of Buddhist nuns. Anuradhapura went on to become a Ceylonese political and religious capital (4th century BC) that flourished for 1,300 years.

We ran out of time to see everything so will be returning in the morning to finish seeing some of the major points of interest. We then headed to our hotel for a well deserved rest and what we thought would be a well deserved drink. However as it is national day – the day they celebrate their independence – there is no alcohol served!!!!

Climbing 1840 steps today (actually double that because I also had to climb down them!!) and then heading off on a bike ride tomorrow. It has been years since I rode a bike so am not sure about all this!!!!!

Cant say this holiday is relaxing so far - hiking, biking etc - but it is truly amazing to see so much that has such great historical and cultural significance.