Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura is a long way from anywhere! The Tissewewa Resthouse is a delightful old colonial pile with large verandhas, ceiling fans ... and mosquitoes .. by the hundreds. The landscaped grounds are huge and has groups of two types of monkeys. This hotel is far more unspoilt than I expected .. the pictures on the Website make it seem a bit upmarket. Real lack of customers.. apparently the recent attacks have resulted in many cancellations and tour guides are giving the area a miss..
The Archeology Museum had many interesting objects in a rather decaying building much in need of a clean and brush up. The 'keepers' lounged around gossiping .. must be a cushy job. The grounds were very well maintained and the best objects there were the sanitary goods .. urinals, bidets from, monasteries. This country had advanced drainage, sanitation and irrigation from as early as 1 Cent BC. I was also impressed at the clay roofing tiles from 5th Cent BC which were nailed to a wooden frame in the same way as our modern ones.
Abhayagiri Monastery
Abhayagiri Monastery was a very important place. Its active period was 1st Century to 1100 Cent AD. At its peak (probably 8th Century) over 5000 monks were here. The Dagoba itself has eroded over the years and was covered in scaffolding and is undergoing restoration ; what I found far more interesting was the adjacent archaeological site (of no interest to visiting Sri Lankans : I was they only person there, two days running). Not much left in the way of buildings. but the UNESCO Fund has landscaped the whole place and rebuilt the walls to a few feet so you can see the outline of buildings. The tanks were built in stone and therefore survived and one (the Elephant Tank) is huge and impressive. The important thing is that these tanks were all part of the bigger irrigation system which linked reservoirs to tanks, rice fields and ponds. This is a lovely peaceful setting with birds, butterflies and monkeys.
Isurumuniya Dagoba
Isurumuniya Dagoba is part of a large complex dating to 3rd Cent BC. It has three unusual sculptures (unusual because they are not religious), so perhaps the site even predates the arrival of Buddhism in 2nd Cent BC. The Lovers .. thought to be a king and his lower caste girlfriend (2) elephants carved into the rock of the tank at this site and (3) a warrior and the head of his horse .. quite a striking sculpture carved into the rock above the tank. There is a small archaeological museum (housing The Lovers). Stairs go to the top of a rock overlooking the surrounding area .. these stairs lead under a huge rock that seems very close to falling .. quite stomach churning when I really stopped and looked at it. Local people have placed twigs on one side of it to measure any movement (primitive seismic detectors). This is another place that is exhausting because you have to leave shoes and hat at the entrance ; walk barefoot across hot stone with the sun beating down.
Royal Pleasure Gardens ... and the Sacred Tree
The Royal Pleasure Gardens are near the Resthouse, just behind the bund of the reservoir and there are tanks and irrigation channels fed by the lake. It has mature trees, two charming small tanks ; it was built by the 6th Cent AD royal family. the tanks are built below large rocks which provide a great backdrop and which may have had pavilions on them in ancient times.The gardens are below the bund of the gigantic Tissawewa reservoir which is fed by the 54 mile long Jaya Ganga canal. Built in the 5th Cent AD, this work of ancient Sri Lankan is considered as engineering wonder in irrigation.
An amusing scene there when I saw a few monks touring the site ; two of them appear to have exchanged their begging bowl for cellphones. (see photos) On my last day in Anuradhapura I cycled to see the Sacred Tree; security is tight at the Sacred Tree .. one general police check and then two intensive bag and body searches before you enter the grounds. This tree is over 2200 years old (oldest historical tree in the world says the guidebook). It is from a cutting of the Bodhi Tree in India under which Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment around 400 BC. This is a highly sacred site for Buddhists and during full moon festivals in June over 1 million people visit it ; there were no other tourists in sight when I visited. I was expecting some gnarled old fragment of a tree (something like the 1000 year old olive tree in Palma Majorca) but this is a huge vigorous tree, an extremely healthy specimen. It sits up on a platform and is surrounded by golden railings ; there are several other trees nearby said to be off shoots of this original one. Photographs are not allowed while on the platform, so I didn't get a very good photo but I will certainly remember it .. the leaves shimmer in the sun and for a tree lover like me, this was quite an experience. The botanical name is Ficus Religiosa.
Jetavara Dagoba
Jetavara Dagoba was built in the 3rd Cent BC and the only taller structures at the time were the Pyramids of Egypt. The top has eroded but the main structure is intact and impressive. There was a monastery for 3000 monks .. and one tank is in excellent condition. My next stop were the Twin Ponds at Abhayagiri .. brackish water but beautiful stone linings to tanks which were carved out of stone and therefore said to be very cool. An elaborate system of inlets and beds filtered the water before it entered the tank and was said to be pure enough to drink. Final stop in this complex was the Moonstone ; said to one of the finest in Sri Lanka , symbolising Heaven and Earth,. etc. These stones are half moon shapes placed at the bottom of a set of stairs and said to bring good luck when you step on them. (By the way, because of their texture, they also act as doormats)
The fine print
Date of travel : November 2007
Country information :
www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ce.html