Art..

...breathes Life into Rocks.

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This post.. is something that ought to have been up right after the Medirigirya post that was posted in September, you see. I wonder if it's cause, time flies a lot faster on this side of the planet. O__o

Coming back to Medirigiriya,
We got there around 3pm but the sun was blazing, blindingly bright. The soft plush sand, the rocky terrain, the smooth stone platform and the rough stone stairway.. all gave us their warmest *= blistering hot* welcome. It was so hot that a mere human couldn't stand still for more than 5 seconds, unless they find an oasis under the shade of a tree.

We were partly skipping, scampering and pausing at the small oases en route to this unique Watadage, that is said to be aesthetically best among its counterparts. But once I climbed up the stairway and got on to the circular stone platform.. I was stunned. It was a truly amazing sight that awaited us.

The soaring stone pillars fortifying the stone parapet gave us wonderfully distinct vistas like a celluloid. Behind the parapet was another circular platform with no railing for safety. Below that was a sheer drop, good enough to give goosebumps to anyone.

Wrapping this massive stone art was a green carpet of tree tops running as far as the eyes can see. And reverberating among them are the extemporized songs, mostly of the chirpy parrots playing hide and seek behind the greens. Farther towards the right were more stone ruins at a lower altitude, somewhat similar to the ones next to me. Above me was the bluest blue sky, blotted with silky white clouds and smudgy gray clouds.. looking nothing terrestrial. I bet twas a massive canvas carefully painted with water color by a giant heavenly being.

Watadage as I said before translates to Circular Relic House. Beaten by the scorching weather, torrential monsoons and a number of ruthless invasions.. today we could only see this ancient wonder in ruins. Slashed by the invaders' merciless swords, some of the stone statues remaining here only had the torso. The pillars behind them rose sky high and they were all crafted beautifully with subtle designs. But the glaring sun didn't allow me to absorb these captivating motifs for more than a few seconds.

As I leisurely wandered round and round the Watadage in a stupefied amazement, I forgot something very, very important. For when I looked around.. our folks had already left the Watadage and had rushed to find an oasis. And then it suddenly hit me, OMG the floor *= stone platform* was still smoldering hot! O__O

Once my lost senses returned from the oblivion, I couldn't stay put for even a few seconds there, so had to hurry down the stairway to join my folks. Under the shade of a grove they were all chatting cheerfully, some standing, some seated on cool stone benches nearby. I too sat on one of them and looked around. I was surprised beyond words, once more. There around us, popping up from the ground, were some of the finest archeological discoveries.. that you already saw in my last post. ^__^

So here we go, finally, to the historical Watadage of Medirigiriya.
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* All pics can be expanded with a simple CTRL + Click

















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This winds up the Medirigiriya topic and finally wraps up the entire Somawathie trip.

On a different note, I took a few IQ tests and realized that my IQ has gone down dramatically. O__O That proves I haven't used my teeny brain for a while.. well.. I wonder even that bit had vanished. -__-

So.. I decided to do a life planner, listing my 3 utmost life goals. Made some mini goals under them. And after contemplating a lot, I found out that I'm better off with my old faithful freelancing career. =D Oh but this time, the type of work I'm hoping to do will be totally different. And if it works out.. it'd help me big time to achieve one of my 3 life goals a bit more earlier than I thought. So.. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. ^__^

Take a stroll.. amidst Ancient Ruins

Yep, after a lapse of 5 months.. finally.. I'm getting back to the long forgotten topic of Medirigiriya Watadage.

Medirigiriya has one of the finest Watadage in Lanka renowned as an archeological site dating back to 7th century AD which is also rich in artistic value. Watadage or circular relic house is an ancient structure built around a Stupa, topped with a roof.

But there's much more to the place than its archeological essence. These stone ruins are dotted throughout acres of land brimming with greenery. (that article says the place used to own 600 acres, but now it's down to 250 acres) Green trees and grass together with gray rocks and ruins sprawling beneath the mysteriously beautiful blue skies.

Despite being fanned throughout with natural chilly breezes, and constantly calmed by the tranquil scenery, the temperature was terribly scorching! It was like getting slowly boiled inside a giant cauldron. -__- The temp. might have been around 30 - 32C but we felt it like a sizzling 40C cause of humidity levels. But the area's magnificent beauty made us forget this boiling cauldron, at least from time to time.

The first folks to greet us were a whole colony of parrots! They were singing and chattering happily. *noise level = a local fish market in birdie version* Sadly when I caught them on cam, the green of their plumage and the green of the foliage were all the same. *my poor cam couldn't tell them apart!*

As we climbed the stone stairway and walked towards the watadage, we saw lots of lichenized ruins. There was a fine rocky outcrop with a stairway (carved off the rock) leading to ruins of a stupa and beyond that was a lily pad infested pond. In between all these ruins were a sandy area. Be it the sand, or the rocky surface or the neatly flattened stone stairways and terraces.. almost everything was still.. sizzling hot...! But it was worth the effort.. to explore.. such a beautiful spot.. rich in nature.. and rich in ruins.

So today I'll be sharing the captivating scenery around Medirigiriya Watadage... and some of the other ruins that I came across.

*If you'd recall one of my previous posts.. Medirigiriya is the very place where we saw the giant Banyan tree and the mysterious cave where a devotee was meditating, and the secret super slim tunnel with the slipperiest slope was found* 

A stone basin to wash the feet? This was at the foot of the first stone stairway


A green carpet between stone ruins and rocky outcrops


A moonstone.. buried under sand


Stupa in ruins, sitting atop the rocky outcrop


More ruins.. you could also see some statues amidst stone pillars


Irregular brick pattern.. it looks like in the good old days they didn't use the perfectly rectangular bricks


A korawakgala (handrail) made entirely of stone.


Lichenized bricks... the place was infested with lichens.. which means the environmental pollution here is next to nil.


The sky had different types of clouds in every direction, some appeared like they were taken right off a smudged oil painting.


Take a sneak peak at this 1 foot tall anthill.. that I found beneath a stone bench


The Yellow Tree.. I've no idea what this tree is but it sure stood out amidst all the green trees. 



This cactus stood out amidst other ordinary trees... for some odd reason it reminds me of flat faced cloth dolls.. tons of them!


Cactus and the sky



It's a stairway to heaven! This was behind the Yellow Tree. As you can see.. it's carved off the very same rock.. a pretty neat work


Rocky terrain.. met a cute salamander around here, but before I could say hi, it vanished into a plush carpet of fallen leaves. 


Lily filled pond.. this was found at the end of the rocky outcrop


This shady grove.. starts from the watadage and runs straight up to the pond (above).

You see.. I took 5 mts to gather all my courage to climb up a 50+ degree slope (in that rocky terrain) with all my might and then.. another 2 mts to argue *with my mind* if I'm going to risk my life and jump down a 3-4 ft drop *and I did jump* and almost sprained my ankle and trudged the rest of the rock up to that pond.. and then.. my dear lil cousin sis and her mom simply pointed at this path between the shady grove and said.. "why didn't you take that short cut?" -__-


Part of the pond.. I think.. without the lily pads.. and finally..



Medirigiriya Watadage... as seen from a distance

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This concludes the sightseeing tour around the Watadage. Next time you'll see the famous Medirigiriya Watadage itself. ^__^

Works of Art, Works of Wonders - Anuradhapura

In my last post I covered one of the two places we visited in Anuradhapura. Today I'll be posting about the imposing Stupa (chedi) in Anuradhapura, the Ruwanweliseya. It is a much venerated Stupa for Buddhists, rich in history and an amazing architecture. It is also one of the three great stupas in Anuradhapura which can be spotted from great distances.

Lankan stupas mostly follow a predefined shape which would most likely be one of the following 6 shapes.

The primary shapes of Stupas in Lanka
1. Ghantakara (bell)
2. Ghatakara (pot)
3. Bubbulakara (bubble)
4. Dhanyakara (paddy-heap)
5. Padmakara (lotus)
6. Amalakakara (Indian gooseberry / nelli)

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Ruwanweli Stupa

Firstly let's see some stats.

Built in: 2nd century BC (161 - 137 BC)
Built by: King Dutu Gemunu *completed by his brother King Saddhatissa*
Shape: Bubble
Height: 92 m
Circumference: 292 m
Diameter: 90.8 m

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From the figures you can imagine its imposing dimensions, which you will see more clearly with these photos I captured during our pilgrimage last time.

* Click on the images to expand them



pic 1 - 3: Ruwanweli Stupa as seen from a distance, through a canopy of festoon bulbs




pic 1: A korawakgala (type of thick handrail), this one is made of brick and white washed, I think. You could also see a row of elephant relief neatly overlapping, behind the korawakgala.
pic 2: The overlapping elephant relief of 1st pic in a different angle. It is called the 'Eth pawura' (wall of elephants), which is the surrounding wall of Stupa.. and it's embellished with elephant sculptures. You can gauge their size from this pic, as there is a devotee walking past them in the right side corner.

*The ruddy tones in the pics, as usual, came up cause I had tweaked the settings.



pic 1: The hefty base of the Stupa, made of 3 level base (basal rings) going around the circumference
pic 2: 'Sala pathala maluwa' (stone laid compound), is the closest ground to the stupa. The surface is very smooth almost like a tiled floor.
pic 3: Some of the relics excavated at the premises were lined up along the wall. They looked like square stone elephants from a distance.



When we walked close to the Stupa, it was impossible to see its pinnacle, cause of its bubble shape. *took this photo after moving a good distance away from the stupa*

The top portion above the dome has a structure composed of a square, cylinder, spire and finally the crystal at the pinnacle. The crystal ('kotha') is something used since the ancient times, and it might have been used as a lightning-conductor as much as an embellishment.



Pic 1 and 2: When we first arrived, a group of devotees were already engaged in a certain ritual. You can see a big band wrapped around the circumference of the dome, isn't it? This is a lengthy robe made of the 5 colors found in a Buddhist flag.

What these pilgrims were doing is called 'kapruka puja', where a lengthy civara (monk's robe, usually in ruddy orange color) is wrapped around the dome as an offering to the temple.



pic 1: The huge structure set before the dome is known as 'Vahalkada', and there are four of them around the stupa.
pic 2: The base of vahalkada. Doesn't these square elephants at the bottom strip look a bit familiar?
pic 3: Top portion of the vahalkada



pic 1: A devotee paying homage to the small shrine at the foot of vahalkada
pic 2: close up of the sitting Buddha statue enshrined here.



pic 1: Portion of the reclining Buddha statue enshrined at the big shrine hall next to the Stupa.
pic 2: Life size statue of King Dutu Gemunu mounted on his royal war tusker named 'Kandula'.
pic 3: Life size statue of King Elara mounted on his war tusker named 'Mahapabbata'

*tusker is an elephant bearing tusks, while war tuskers (or elephants) were especially trained for battles.

There was a historic war between these 2 kings, it wasn't just a fight for the throne, but a fight to unite our land as one nation. Elara, even though he was an invader, was acclaimed as a great leader who enforced and practiced justice.. to the point of punishing his own son for a crime he committed. *wish our current politicians could take him as an example*

The 2nd and 3rd pics look a lil fuzzy, and I wonder if it was due to the tense ambiance I felt inside the shrine hall! You know.. after seeing 2 of the greatest kings of our history in battle-mode. Ironically.. they were flanking the reclining Buddha statue. And I wonder why they were sculpted that way.

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* Disclaimer: Referred the dimensions and some of the facts from Wikipedia, pdn.ac.lk (pdf), Lakehouse (pdf), Wikipedia-2

Sights on the way

We passed so many sights.. attractive, unusual, sacred, pleasing, inspiring, depressing... yet I missed the chances of capturing so many.. as by the time I pulled out the cam and focused they were already gone out of sight! -__-

Then when I started capturing the lakes infested with cattle, malli (my cousin brother) started calling out every time he spotted anything the shape of a buffalo or bull.. and then.. to my horror and to their joy.. everyone *my aunts and uncs of mom's side* joined the fun.. making me take too many pics of nothing but cattle of all colors and sizes and types *you know the dairy ones with black and white spots to brown ones, black ones and white ones grazing beside a bunch of buffaloes!* I mercilessly removed the excess pics later on. -__-

Here's a one I kept as a souvenir though...

* Click to expand the pictures

Cattle galore


This was almost like an oasis as most of the lakes were already dried up or drying. There's a bunch of diya kawa (little cormorant.. I think) wading next to these four legged, in the water. There were lots of these birdies in other lakes too, though I couldn't get a clear capture of them.

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The trees and the ruins



First Pic: I came across this site teeming with ruins en route to the sacred Bodhi tree. There were many of such ruins straddling the paved walkway that runs from the Sri Maha Bodhi to Ruwanweliseya. Notice the tree behind these ruins with shiny twisted branches? These trees are the natural resources for making the famous 'ruk kala' or tree art.

Second Pic: The parapet wall is a remnant of an ancient stone wall. And this one sits opposite the stairway to the sacred Bodhi tree. These stones doesn't seem to neatly fit in, so I wonder if they were restored recently (few decades back) after excavations. Conversely, the outermost fortification of the premises has neatly cut huge rectangular stones placed side by side with a remarkable precision. They reminded me of the pyramids of Giza.

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Glimpse of Temples in the distant


This was a famous kovil (Hindu temple) which we passed on our way to Tantirimale in the wee hours of the morning, around Matale. The area nestles many such kovils featuring stunning relief and carvings on every nook and corner of their facades. I was only able to capture its top most portion when the van stopped to get a fill at the petrol shed (filling station).



Just as the sign reads, it's the Rangiri Dambulu Temple (The Golden Temple) which is famous for its splendid frescoes of hell and numerous golden Buddha statues in a cave. The 1st pic was taken on our way to Tantirimale, and the 2nd was taken during the return trip.

The paintings and sculptures of the hell housed in the premises is highly recommended by my mom for everyone! She's been iterating that ever since I was a kid, saying if we see it even once we'd be afraid to commit even the tiniest crime. I've yet to see this amazing hell! =D



This is the famous sitting Buddha statue at the Dambulu temple dazzling in golden hues. It's one of the biggest sitting Buddha statues in Lanka.



This is... I think the Stupa of Jetavanaramaya which we saw on our return trip. From a distance both Jetavanaramaya and Abhayagiriya looks very much alike.. especially after the restoration process.