24 July 2010

A glimpse of Somawathiya

Thousand Apologies! =D Thanks Chavie for letting me know about that issue with the pics. I just checked it and even I can't use CTRL+ Click to expand them! I think I made a mistake while uploading. Will re-upload and fix that issue so all the pics can be enlarged when clicked. Sorry for the inconvenience.

...

It took me a while to get back but finally I'm going to wrap up the Somawathie series. Lots happened here but sadly I don't have time to share them all.


So today I'll be sharing only a few selected shots from my Picasa album. I'll add the link to the album at the bottom of this post.


Before I start, here's a recap about Somawathiya: It is one of our most sacred temples as it enshrines the right tooth relic of Lord Buddha. So for us Buddhists this temple is just as important as the world famous Temple of the Tooth. (Sri Dalada Maligawa)

CTRL + Click as usual to see the pics in their original size.

Let's begin the tour.




The Elephant Pond with lifelike elephant sculptures




The Moonstone with unusual patterns




Oil Lamps with glass jars instead of clay lamps




Big old banyan tree that sheltered most of the devotees




Bird nests inside the Wahalkada




Bell Tower and the tiled compound next to the Stupa




Old brick layers in the midst of the stupa




Incense sticks and their silky smoke




Stupa and the banyan tree




Part of Wahalkada and the pinnacle of Stupa + a rainbow lens flare




A sparrow perched on basal rings of stupa




Samadhi Buddha Statue and the Bodhi Tree




Somawathie Stupa and the Wahalkada

If you'd like to take the complete virtual tour sit back and click here. The descriptive captions will take you on a guided tour. ^__^

10 comments:

  1. Excellent pictures. I have not gone here yet.
    The moonstone seem to be quite unique. Also I can't remember any glass jars as oil lamps in any other temple.

    ReplyDelete
  2. There are so many interesting places in your pictures. That looks like a place I wish I could see for myself.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Namo Amitabha. Do you say so?

    Buddha and Bodhi tree always come together. This is where the wisdom was found.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beautiful pictures Harumi! :D But the Ctrl + Click doesn't work for me, maybe it's this new browser I'm using. :S I like the whole glass lamp thing, much less sooty. All of my white clothes have dark patches on them where I've got soot on my fingers and accidentally touched the fabric! ;) LOL.

    Also love how they've left the side of the stupa open so that people can see the various stages at which it was reconstructed.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks a lot for your comments K, Ratty, Rain and Chavie.

    @ K: Thanks again. Yep, you should visit. Plus you can go on safaris at Habarana and Minneriya en route. =D

    Ya, and it looks quite old. Yep, it was my first time seeing glass jars too.

    @ Ratty: Yep, it sure does. And you'd definitely like it, cause the whole place is surrounded by the best of nature. ^__^

    @ Rain: Wow.. that's something new. I think Amitabha Buddha is worshiped by Mahayana Buddhists, while we Theravada Buddhists worship Siddhartha Gautama Buddha.

    That's quite true. BTW if you don't mind can I know your religion Rain? ^__^

    @ Chavie: Thanks. Really? Ya ne.. must be the browser. I should stop adding that phrase again. =D

    Oh ya.. I used to have that trouble too. =D You could make nice Batik-like designs with soot. lol

    Ya, it's one good way to learn about traditional architectures.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Harumi - It works now! :D I guess they call this a 'Beta' with good reason! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beautiful set of pics and I really enjoyed the virtual tour as well.

    Awaiting for the next series … :D

    ReplyDelete
  8. @ Chavie: Yep, thanks again. ^__^ Oh ya, that Draft mode always switch between the old and beta versions on a whim. =D

    @ Anjana: Thanks and glad you did.

    Oops! That reminds me.. I do have a 'great' memory! I said I wrapped up the Somawathie series, but I completely forgot about Medirigiriya pics! =D I'll add it next time, before starting a totally different theme.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nice and informative blog, congrats!
    The moonstone looks unusal and looks as if it came from an alien planet.
    The concept of glass jars seems very innovative :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. @ silent moments: Hi there and welcome to my blog!

    And thanks for your compliments. ^__^ hehe.. it sure is. I too have never seen such a moonstone before.. and can't even tell if it's an ancient one or a recent one.

    Oh ya.. and I wonder who invented it. =D

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...