The impressive Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba, originally built in the 2nd century BC, although much-restored, at one time this was the biggest stupa in the world and is thought to have some of the Buddha’s relics enshrined here. It’s got a wonderful wall with a frieze of 344 elephants.

The Kuttam Pokuna, or Twin Ponds, were likely used by the monks for bathing. The structure is beautiful and is in wonderful condition.

Guardian figures, are placed at the entrance to temples as well as other important sites; moonstones, carved from stone, are placed at the entrance to Buddhist temples.

The Samadhi Buddha, a 4th C statue, is considered one of the finest Buddha statues in Sri Lanka. Sitting in the Samadhi, or meditation, pose, you can feel it exude a sense of serenity and peace.

We don’t need to go on a formal safari to see wildlife - it’s everywhere we go!

Thanks again for the photos of Anurhadapura, Progol. That buddha is as you say very serene.

Also great photos of the "wildlife". Not having been to the Indian subcontinent before we were amazed by the variety of life on the roads and verges, and the complete lack of rules governing what it did yet the number of accidents we saw was very small.

Great reporting and fab pics.... sadly we cancelled our nov, 2020 Indian trip and now i think I will have to cancel our oct/nov/ dec 2021 SEA trip as Thailand is slow to reopen, which is fine for safety reasons.

annhig, glad you're still enjoying the TR! Between Anurhadapura and Polonnaruwa, I will try to be circumspect about photos of ancient ruins -- and posting tongue twisters! The wildlife was fun to spot when it was least expected! Of course, seeing the elephants were a treat, but I got a kick out of seeing the less "exotic" animals elsewhere. Monkeys, of course, are EVERYWHERE!

rhkkmk, So nice to see you here! I'm sorry about your travel cancellations, both past and possibly upcoming. Having canceled 3 big trips in 2020, I've held off making any reservations at all for now, though I've got 2 trips already sketched out whenever we can go again. I'm not that hopeful about 2021 for international travel, but hoping 2022 will keep us busy!

Again, more to come soon!

Arriving at Polonnaruwa, the ancient city that became the capital in the 11th Century.

Polonnaruwa

The Rankot Vihara, the largest in Polonnaruwa and the fourth largest on the island.



Many different sites within the Polonnaruwa complex that we are seeing today! Getting a little hard to keep them straight (so I’m not!).

The students were everywhere we were!




Wall detail







An Image Hall, a temple with images of Buddha


Closeup of a wall in the Image Hall


Closeup 2




Lotus Pond, restored - beautiful shape!

Love these!


Aren't they beautiful?

Buddhas and Stupas










Banyan tree with Stupa

annhig, glad you're still enjoying the TR! Between Anurhadapura and Polonnaruwa, I will try to be circumspect about photos of ancient ruins -- and posting tongue twisters! The wildlife was fun to spot when it was least expected! Of course, seeing the elephants were a treat, but I got a kick out of seeing the less "exotic" animals elsewhere. Monkeys, of course, are EVERYWHERE!

Yes, i don't think I've ever seen so many, Progol. We were pleased that we had observed the warning in our hotel bedroom not to open the french windows - they would have been in like a shot.

and thanks for the photos of Polonnaruwa which truth to tell I remember chiefly because it was our first full day in Sri Lanka and it was tremendously hot. So out sightseeing consisted mainly of being driven in our air-conditioned vehicle, getting out for a quick look round, then getting back in and driving on a bit further. I also remember a museum I think and unfortunately we didn't meet any school children in their uniforms. We met some in other places thought and were struck by how neat and clean they were, wearing their uniforms with far more pride than most UK school kids wear theirs.

As for the names, I recommend watching cricket - Sri Lankan names posed few problems for us, solely because we were used to reading and hearing them in numerous cricket matches. I'm hoping the same will hold true when - if - I ever get to India!

annhig,
Thank you for continuing to follow this! I'm glad you enjoyed the Pollonuwara photos - truthfully, by that second day, we were also feeling a bit blitzed from the heat, and 2 days of the ancient sites were starting to blur a bit. While I do appreciate the ruins and am glad I saw them, it was tiring in the heat. We didn't see the museum, though.

I love your description of getting comfortable with names because of watching the cricket matches! But the only names that were truly challenging was getting the names of the 2 ancient sites down! Anurhadapura and Pollonuwara. It's the spelling that gets me every time!

I'm trying to get back on track and will work on the next bit of the TR very shortly!

From Habarana, we traveled on to Kandy, making a stop at a small batik factory. The work was lovely, and I was sorely tempted to buy some of the lovely outfits that were being draped around me, but I resisted temptation! We did buy a pillow for our living room, though! There was no real pressure to buy, though I always feel bad when I leave without getting anything.









I love her smile!


Lovely, isn't it?

On the road again, passing a Hindhu temple on the way to Kandy

In Kandy, we stayed at the Theva Residency, located in the hills above Kandy. This is a lovely boutique hotel, with nice views over the city. I remember reading about it in annhig's trip report and then read other glowing reviews, and will say that they are well deserved!

Never one to do reinvent the wheel, I quote myself from my TA review:

"We stayed at the Theva Residency in a deluxe double room for 2 nights in February which was the right amount of time for exploring Kandy. The hotel is situated in the hills above the city, so requires a driver to come and go. It is a lovely place to escape the hectic city and relax.
We received a warm welcome and enjoyed the comfort of our room with excellent amenities. We had breakfast and dinner there both nights, and we had some of the best food of our entire trip. The dining room is also beautifully sited, with its glass windows overlooking the views and the lovely infinity pool. Unfortunately, it was rainy and too cool for swimming when we visited. However, we took advantage of the wonderful sauna on the hotel’s premises, and that was great! We had a lovely terrace overlooking the town. Slingback cloth chairs were provided, which we brought into the room when it rained. As we didn’t didn’t have any other chairs in the room, we hoped this would work, but they really are not that comfy. It would’ve been nice to have a sitting area in the room as there was enough space in front of the glass.
Do know that this is a residential area just outside the downtown so the view will include telephone wires and other signs of urban life. We did hear dogs barking during the night.
Overall, the warm welcome, the lovely amenities and good food, and great views make this an excellent place to stay in Kandy."











Good breakfasts and dinners!

oh the responsibility of recommending somewhere, progol! Particularly a hotel where a bum steer could really spoil someone's stay. So I am so very glad that you enjoyed the Theva Residence as much as we did. And more lovely photos. I also like buying things like fabric and cushion covers as presents/souvenirs as they take up so little room in the luggage!

annhig, perhaps you can appreciate the sentiment a friend of mine had many (many!) years ago when she would set people up on blind dates, me included -- she would say, "If it works out, I take responsibility, but if it doesn't, I take NO responsibility!" And you can apply that attitude toward hotel recommendations!! And people do need to take responsibility for their own choices! I would never accept a recommendation without doing my own research as everyone's taste is different. But I did remember your description, and it sounded good, so at least you have fan who appreciates your taste! We did enjoy the hotel and actually found the hotel meals very satisfying, too.

Kandy, continued....The Sacred Temple of the ToothBut the reason why most people visit Kandy, and the reason we did, too, was to see the Sacred Temple of the Tooth, a World Heritage Center and one of the most important temples in Sri Lanka. The relic, of course, is the Buddha’s tooth, and it’s housed in the Royal Palace Complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy.

Our driver picks us up from the hotel and we arrive sometime in the mid-morning, though we’re not ones to move quickly! There are lots of worshippers and tourists, but the crowds move relatively quickly up the several flights of stairs and passed the location of the shrine containing the tooth. The doors to the shrine containing the tooth are closed as we pass by, and they’re only open during certain times of the day. One can try to time their visit with a puja, a devotional ceremony, but for our own interests, just experiencing the presence of the relic was fine. There is more than enough of a feeling of devotion with a horn player and drum player!

After passing the main shrine, we follow the crowd and enter another part of the Temple, which is filled with worshippers. We then found ourselves outdoors, where there are more structures, including the lovely wooden Audience Hall. And we discovered Raja the elephant – that is, we visited the small museum which contains the body of the Sri Lanka tusker elephant, Raja, that had participated in the annual festival at the Temple of the Tooth for 50 years, and upon its death at 75, was considered a national treasure! It’s quite remarkable!

After this visit, we decided to see if we could “sneak” back in to the main part of the temple to see if we could actually SEE the tooth – although it is encased in a golden case in the shape of an egg, so the actual tooth is never exposed. And we managed to find our way back and, amazingly, the doors were open and we got a quick glimpse of the golden case! Our visit was complete!

The Sacred Temple of the Tooth

Approaching the temple complex


Worshippers on their way to the temple entrance


Purchasing offerings


Entranceway


Detail in the entranceway


Detail in the entranceway


In the Temple

And there are a lot of people! Going from the lower floor to the upper floor where the actual Sacred Tooth shrine is located


Worshippers




Another part of the temple






Audience Hall


Raja the elephant


The Sacred Relic is inside!


Overview of complex


Fountain outside complex