annhig

The journey from Colombo to Dambulla took about six hours by car including a lunch break and a few stops along the way.>>

TP - we must have been lucky - it took us about 4 hours from the airport to Dambulla, and I don't remember any new roads, rather a succession of somewhat run-down and chaotic looking towns, but we went straight from the airport, rather from Colombo.

Your itinerary is pretty ambitious - Anuradhapura one day, Polonnaruwa the next. I'm enjoying your TR very much anyway as it's bringing back dome great memories of Sri Lanka - keep it coming.

Kathie

We went from Negombo to Dambulla in 3 - 3.5 hours. The drive from Colombo must be longer. Also, I'm guessing that your drive time was impacted by the construction.

I appreciate your detailed description of Anuradhapura. We were unable to go there due to fighting in the area (we were there during the war). We used local guides at a number of places in Sri Lanka, despite the fact that we often choose not to use guides. We opted for guides because there was so little available in the US on the Sri Lankan sites and history. The guides we hired at the sites in Sri Lanka ranged from very good to superb and enhanced our appreciation of the sites. Like you, we have a lot of background in Buddhism. When we return to Sri Lanka, we plan to visit Anuradhapura.

Mihintale has been a question mark for us, whether it is worth the drive or not. It sound like it was well worth it to you.

Smeagol

I too am enjoying your report ( although rather shamed as we didn't do half as much... But in my defence we had about 10 days )
SR remains a favourite country for me, so lovely to revisit.

tripplanner001

Writing to you sitting by the picture windows in my room overlooking the tea fields. Feels like I've been transported back to a different era.

Ann and Kathie, without lunch, our drive from Colombo to Dambulla would have taken 4.5 to 5 hours. It took us about 30 minutes just to get from our hotel in Colombo to the highway. And it was very much stop and go on the last hour to Dambulla because of the roadside construction.

Ann, for this trip, we opted for a more ambitious agenda for our first week and made up for the R&R in the rest of the itinerary. Other than a long two days in the Cultural Triangle, it's been quite easy-going so far.

Kathie, we opted to go without guides this time as we were looking for more spiritual experiences, especially in Anuradhapura, which is very much a living and breathing place unlike Polonnaruwa. I will discuss the two in comparison in greater detail later. Re: Mihintale, it offered us a very different experience than the other Cultural Triangle site and very worthwhile; Mihintale and Anuradhapura are only 20-30 minutes apart which makes it easy to combine for a day trip albeit a long one.

Smeagol, no shame. Each and every one of our trips are different, and are designed to suit our individual interests and styles. There is no right way or wrong way to experience a place. It's one of the top reasons why I enjoy reading trip reports from others here; it helps us to see some of the places we visit in a different light.

Kathie

I do appreciate wanting a spiritual experience, and having a guide does interfere with that.

I'm looking forward to your detailed comparison of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. We absolutely loved our time in Polonnaruwa!

annhig

looking forward to reading more, TP; I don't share your and Kathie's spiritual interest in all things Buddhist but that doesn't stop me wanting to read about yours.

I'm glad to hear that your 2nd week is a bit more restful - I was getting worried!

tripplanner001

Ann, I understand what you mean and enjoy sharing my experiences with you and everyone else here.

Kathie, for most trips we try to balance learning experiences with spiritual ones and decide guide or no guide based on that. This time we opted for spiritual.

And here is the next installment...

Polonnaruwa
 
Like Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa served as the political capital of Sri Lanka for part of its history.  Polonnaruwa was chosen by a Sinhalese king as the center of government in the 10th century repeated Indian invasions and conquests of Anuradhapura.  As the locus of power Polonnaruwa became the center of religious life for the kingdom.  Much as in Anuradhapura, temples, stupas, and other religious monuments, mostly Buddhist and some Hindu, were constructed during a 300-year period.
 
Our four-hour visit to the ancient city began at the archaeological museum.  Unlike the museum of Anuradhapura, the Polonnaruwa museum is well worth the time spent.  The museum does a wonderful job with its exhibits through words, photographs, and reproductions of what the monuments in this area was anticipated to look like during its heyday.  The information provided complemented what I read in guidebooks and through research.
 
The museum orientation was followed by a visit to the ruins of what was believed to be the Royal Palace.  Similar to Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa could be divided into clusters:  the Royal Palace area, the Quadrangle, and the Northern group.  The Royal Palace was believed to be a seven-story structure.  Much of the outer walls of the first three of the seven stories, as well as some of the dividing walls within the structure, remain standing today.  Nearby the Palace is the remains of a bathing pool, which features crocodile spouts, and an assembly or council hall with elephant carvings, a very intricate moonstone, and several of columns still in good condition.
 
From the Royal Palace complex we proceeded to the Quadrangle, which contains Polonnaruwa's most complete set of ruins within a rather small area.  We started our Quadrangle visit at the Thuparama, which is home to several Buddha statues within an inner chamber. 
 
From the Thuparama we made our way north past a bodhi tree to the Latha Mandapaya or Flowerscroll Hall.  This structure remains in good condition with much of its stone lattice fence built to resemble a wooden fence intact, as well as a small stupa in the middle and several tall structural columns complete with ornamentation.  Just beyond Latha Mandapaya is the remains of a building with nothing but the staircase base and a few columns intact. 
 
Moving eastward we saw a large stone slab with Sinhalese writing as well as the Adatage, a building which is believed to have contained the tooth relic before it was moved to the temple in Kandy.  The face of the stone Buddha found inside the Adatage attracted my attention in that it felt very calm and serene to me.  I also very much enjoyed the Bodhisattva statue immediately opposite it for its simple elegance. 
 
Immediately next to the Adatage is another rectangular building, the Hatadage, also believed to have once housed the Buddha tooth relic.  The Hatadage, along with the circular Vatadage directly opposite, were very impressive to us for the size of its structures, as well as its symmetry.  The Hatadage is home to three stone Buddha statues as well as carvings of Hindu gods and goddesses.
 
Standing in the inner chamber of the Hatadage, with your back to the Buddha statues, you have a perfect sightline through the multiple doorways and up the steps of the Vatadage with its seated Buddha in meditation pose.  If you've seen photographs of Polonnaruwa, chances are you've seen pictures of one of the Vatadage Buddha statues.  The Vatadage was very impressive for its beauty in design as well as its iconography.  In addition to four Buddhas around the circular stupa are detailed carvings of Hindu gods and animals around its circular base and on its stone staircases.  The moonstones here were also among the most detailed I've seen.

In the northeast corner of the Quadrangle is the Satmahal Prasada, a six story structure that looks somewhat like one of the main pyramids in the Mayan city of Tikal.  I've not visited Tikal other than seen pictures, but it was immediately what came to mind when I saw the Polonnaruwa structure.
 
From the Quadrangle we headed to the northern group of ruins by vehicle, passing by the remains of market stalls and several Hindu temples that line the main road connecting the two areas of Polonnaruwa.  It is believed that the Hindu temples were oftentimes built for the queens of Sri Lanka, as they were from India and practicing Hindus even though their kings were Buddhists.
 
Our tour of the northern group became with the Rankot Vihara, the largest stupa in Polonnaruwa.  It very much resembled the Jetavanarama Dagoba in Anuradhapura except that Jetavanarama is larger.  From here we continued to Gal Vihara, which features a collection of four large stone Buddhas.  From left to right, there is a large statue of a seated Buddha in meditation pose, a smaller seated Buddha also in meditation pose used for worship, a standing Buddha with his arms crossed, and a reclining Buddha, all carved from a single piece of rock.  Gal Vihara was clearly built at the climax of Polonnaruwa civilization to impress, and impress it certainly does, even to this day.  All I could do was say "wow" upon seeing these statues.  And who can forget the standing Buddha in its unusual pose?  It's not everyday that we see something like this.
 
We rounded out our time in Polonnaruwa with a visit to the Lotus Pond, still in excellent condition, and the Thilanka Image House, which is unique for its partially deteriorated stone Buddha with three curves.  There is a narrow passageway that starts to the left of the three-curved Buddha, continues along the back wall where the Buddha stands, and ends on the right side of the statue.  There are a couple of small statues hidden in this passageway.  Thilanka is also known for its presence of frescoes, which are not seen anywhere else in Polonnaruwa.
 
Anuradhapura Versus Polonnaruwa
 
We were very fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit both ancient cities during this trip to Sri Lanka, our very first time in the country no less.  Our visit to Polonnaruwa came immediately on the heels of our time in Anuradhapura, which provided us with the chance to examine the two in comparison to each other while details and experiences were still fresh in our minds. 
 
Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa offered us very different experiences.  There is nothing like the Polonnaruwa's Quadrangle at Anuradhapura.  The distances between sights are greater in Anuradhapura compared to Polonnaruwa, making it difficult to cover them on foot difficult if not impossible in a limited amount of time.  At the same time, Anuradhapura is set in more of a park-like setting, which made wandering more joyful.  For those of you who are familiar, the setting for Anuradhapura reminded me very much of the ground at Prambanan in Central Java.
 
What Anuradhapura lacked in detail and variety, it certainly made up for it in ambiance.  Given that Anuradhapura's zenith predated Polonnaruwa's by nearly 1,000 years, the ruins at Anuradhapura are in much more decay.  Lost at several of the sites at Anuradhapura are the architectural details and ornamentations found at Polonnaruwa, although bits and pieces remain, such as the beautiful moonstone at one of the structures. 
 
Visitors to Polonnaruwa are treated to a wider and more complete collection of structures including stupas, remains of temples, palaces, etc., that showcase what must have been a golden age in Sinhalese art and architecture.  At Polonnaruwa we felt like we were visiting an ancient city, much like Jerash in Jordan or old Istanbul.  It remained very much intact.  In contrast Anuradhapura was more about stupas.  Sure there are statues and some remains of temples and palaces, but visitors are most there to visit the stupas.  While the stupas themselves were mostly in excellent condition at Anuradhapura, the same could not have been said for the temples found along its base.  Much of what was there is now gone or rebuilt, such as the temple at the base of Jetavanaram Dagoba.
 
What made Anuradhapura special to us was the fact that it is still very much a living and breathing city.  Unlike at Polonnaruwa, where we felt like we were visiting a city of the past, at Anuradhapura we intermingled with worshippers almost everywhere we went, especially around the Mahavihara. Carnival-like atmospheres prevailed at Ruwanweliseya Dagoba and especially at Sri Maha Bodhi with the throngs are locals and tourists alike in prayer, monks chanting, incense and oil lamps burning, and offerings made. We didn't feel like tourists here at all.

Next up: Ritigala, Sigiriya Rock, and the Dambulla Cave Temples...

Kathie

Thank you so much for your detailed comparison. Clearly was a special experience. I look forward to being able to visit there.

(And it was fun to read your comparisons to places like Prambanam and Jerash.)

progol

Still following, and very much enjoying your account of your travels.

I, too, appreciate the detailed accounts and comparisons, though my only experience of the sites are through other people's reports.

Many thanks for taking the time to write this up on the road!

annhig

me too, TP. you brought back my memories of Polonnaruwa and described it far better than i ever could.

looking forward to the continuation of your trip....

tripplanner001

Kathie, you're most welcome. And I wish you a return to Sri Lanka soon. It's exciting to be here at this time as there is a new sense of optimism in the air with the election of a new president a few weeks ago. I'll talk more about this later.

Paule, thanks for commenting. I'm glad you are enjoying my account.

Ann, thank you. Always helpful to know that people are reading, commenting, and triggering something special for them.

Ritigala

After a glorious morning at Polonnaruwa we rounded out our second full day in the Cultural Triangle at the jungle-covered ruins of Ritigala. Ritigala is very much off the beaten path and not on the radar of most tourists. While the site holds the remains of an amphitheater, a hospital, a couple of resting areas, and what may have been a monastery, much of Ritigala is still unexcavated. The goals of our visit here were not really to sightsee but to do something different and to stretch our legs a little bit.

Ritigala lies near the town of Habanara on the same road to Anuradhapura. Once at the entrance there is a long and narrow road that leads to the car park, from where we hired a park ranger to take us into the site for 1,000 rupees.

Immediately after the entrance we come upon the amphitheater. Even though it is named so, the ruins may have been from a bathing facility or reservoir. Past the amphitheater after climbing a stone and gravel path and some steps lie the remains of a hospital, which looks very much like what we saw at the base of Mihintale. Further up is what may have been the remains of a monastery and about a kilometer further another.

The total visit took about an hour to 90 minutes.

From Ritigala we headed back to the hotel where we enjoyed late afternoon drinks on the back patio overlooking the surrounding lake and mountains.

Sigiriya Rock

Day three of our Cultural Triangle agenda comprised of a morning climb up Sirigiya Rock followed by a midday visit to the Dambulla Cave Temples.

Having read about the possible heat up the unsheltered volcanic plug here and in guidebooks we aimed for an earlier trip to Sigiriya. We arrived at Sirigiya at about 8 in the morning and were greeted with some crowds, probably the most we saw on this trip so far, but nowhere near to crowds we've seen in places such as Paris and Bangkok.

We began our visit at the museum. The museum is very well laid out and provided enough information to give us some context to our visit. Was Sigiriya the site of a 5th century royal palace, as locals like to believe? Or was it a monastery? Perhaps it was built for defensive reasons. Nobody really knows.

After some time in the museum we proceeded to the rock. At its base are some water gardens. The water gardens give way to boulder gardens before the actual ascent. We walked around the water gardens before heading up but saved the boulder gardens for our trip down.

The climb was very easy for us and the weather was not too hot yet. What was a bit annoying was the helpers that went out of their way to try to aid us up the steps. We kept on telling them no one after another but they kept on coming. We mostly lost them by the time we got up to the entrance to the mirror wall, which holds a handful of frescoes underneath a rocky overhang.

From here it was up to the lion's paw and a final ascent to the mountaintop remains. We wandered about the ruins, snapping photographs and enjoying the 360 degree views.

We climbed down after about 45 minutes and walked around the boulder gardens. There were a couple of boulders that we climbed for good views of the rock itself. Also here is Cobra Hood Cave, a natural rock formation that looked like the head of a king cobra.

We visited a local woodcarvers' workshop near the rock right before lunch. We toured the premises and received a good overview of the different types of wood found in Sri Lanka. We did purchase a couple of smaller pieces for our home.

Dambulla Cave Temples

Following a simple lunch of red rice and Sri Lankan curries at a local dining outpost we headed to the Dambulla Cave Temples. We were there just before 2 in the afternoon, and it was quite hot. We mostly felt the heat on our way up to the cave temples but were fine by the time we reached the complex.

The Dambulla complex consists of five cave temples built by a local king who took refuge here back in the 1st century BC. Three of the five caves are believed to date from this time period while two of the caves came many centuries later. Most of the artwork is almost believed to be much more recent.

Even though we've seen multiple pictures of these temples, nothing could have prepared us for experiencing something as spectacular. This site took our breaths away. I felt like I was in some state of spiritual esctacy. We spent close to two hours taking in the splendid beauty that was all around us. The additional time allowed some time for us for prayer and meditation in between passing tour groups. I also loved being able to gaze upon the neat rows of Buddha statues lining the caves. The frecoes on the ceilings and all around were equally spectacular.

Even though it was quite warm outside, the temperature inside the caves were quite nice. We also didn't notice the heat as much on the way down as we did on the way up.

From here it was back to the Kandalama where we enjoyed our final evening at the hotel.

The Heritance Kandalama

The Kandalama is one of the best hotels in the Cultural Triangle and also much sought after by visitors, and we definitely experienced why during our four night stay here.

The building itself, designed by the famed Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa, was built according to LEED certification standards and beautifully blends in with the surrounding environment. The structure tastefully incorporates the rock from the side of the mountain into its walls and floors. Between the front reception and the back patio with infinity pool is a long breezy wall made up of mostly rock; we loved passing through this space every time.

The rooms were not as large as some of the other properties that we stayed at but adequate and functional. We enjoyed the balcony with views of the lake and mountains. The indoor shower came with the same view; I felt like I was outdoors.

Every single meal we had at the Kandalama was delicious. We felt overwhelmed by the buffet options available at each morning and night. on offer for dinner was a wide selection of Western dishes as well as Sri Lankan curries and soups, salads, and all the desserts you could possibly want. The indoor buffet was accompanied by an outdoor open kitchen and grill each night; chicken schwarma was available one night, made-to-order pastas and noodle stir-frys another, and so on. The curries I've had here are among the best I've tasted in Sri Lanka, along with the Tea Factory, also run by the same management company.

We spent several of our late afternoons and early evenings on the back patio enjoying cups of tea and just relaxing.

The long driveway from the main road to the hotel was also memorable. Every time we drove past the rows of trees we knew we were at our home away from home.

From Dambulla the next leg of our journey took us to the former Sri Lankan capital city of Kandy. Still to come...

Kathie

We also thought the Dambulla Cave Temples were spectacular! Glad you enjoyed them as much as we did.

I'm someone who actively avoids buffets. In fact, the first night at the Kandalama, we ate in their a la carte restaurant, which was fine but nothing special, IMO. We then ate at the buffets and were most impressed. As you note, they were always making something fresh on the outdoor grills. I'm glad to hear the food is still very good.

BTW, did you try their avocado juice? When we arrived at the Kandalama, and they offered us fresh juices, our driver said, "get the avocado juice!" We did and it was wonderful!

Looking forward to more...

annhig

so glad that you enjoyed the Kandalama - someone here went there recently and didn't think much of it so I was wondering if the standards were slipping, but it appears not. As you say, Kathie, even the most discerning "non-buffet" person couldn't fail to be impressed by the Kandalama buffet. i think that we were lucky that it was our initiation into Sri lanka - we were certainly introduced very gently.

tripplanner001

Kathie, thank you. We most definitely had a grand time at Dambulla. The buffet at the Kandalama remains the best we've had throughout this trip. Unfortunately, the avocado juice is no longer an option; in fact I remember reading about it in your report and made a mental note, but our options were fruit juice, coconut water, and one other juice of which I cannot remember the name but it wasn't avocado.

Ann, sounds like the Kandalama left a great impression on all of us. My travel companions and I continue to rave about it throughout our trip and compare our meals to our experiences there.

Just arrived at Yala. Later everyone.

annhig

TP - in case you get this in time, one of the best things we did at Yala was the early morning guided walk which we arranged through their wildlife tour office.

Also we had to be really firm with the drivers on the "safari/game drive" to stop them chasing round with everyone else trying to spot a leopard and then the elephants. I hope you have an enjoyable experience!

Mohammed

I love to see these type of "live" trip reports where everyone seems to re live their own travels with the one who is currently travelling and sending the reports. Even as a Sri Lankan living in Sri Lanka, and I do travel all around the country frequently, I am finding your report very exciting!

Annhig - I would love to know about the "early morning guided walk" at Yala. Yala does not allow any walking so it must have been outside the park boundaries and operated privately. I know for sure that the DWLC (Department of Wildlife Conservation) who control and operate yala does not offer any such tour. That said a walk on the fringes could be very interesting as it does offer a chance to see Elephant and many other jungle signs including leopard etc.

Mohammed

Talking about juices, do try the woodapple juice. It is a brown colour and sort of earthy but tangy taste. It is also grows in the wild and is a favourite fruit of the elephants. Woodapple is just coming into season now.

Avocados are also seasonal, perhaps a bit too early yet.

Other great exotic tropical fruits to try in Sri Lanka are the rambuttan (bit similar to a lychee) and the mangosteen.

If you have the courage try some durian. this is also still early in the season though. You either love it or hate it.

SLifestyle

We are back just one week and I love reading all of this. I hope to write a trip report soon. We stayed at Vil Uyana for our last three nights. I will never forget this hotel, we loved it. We had a fantastic trip, I know off topic but I want to thank everyone for their contributions here. What a wonderful country, I felt fortunate to see it now before things change.

annhig

Annhig - I would love to know about the "early morning guided walk" at Yala. Yala does not allow any walking so it must have been outside the park boundaries and operated privately. I know for sure that the DWLC (Department of Wildlife Conservation) who control and operate yala does not offer any such tour. >>

Mohammed - sorry, I should have expressed myself more accurately. The walk was around the wild areas surrounding the hotel, not in the National Park itself. It was led by one of the guides at the hotel who specialises in wild life interpretation. Amongst other things we walked over to the beach where signs of elephants could be seen, but none of the elephants themselves. We also looked at a lot of the birdlife which was very interesting to us because though we are not "twitchers" we still love looking at the birds which in Sri Lanka, as you know, are spectacular.

kikz

This is my friend's Sri Lanka stories, She LOVES it there.

Horton's Plains
http://www.my-memoirs.com/dgarms/hor...trangest-place

Nuwara Eliya
http://www.my-memoirs.com/dgarms/nuw...s-hill-country

Her Travel Blog
http://doriatravels.com/