DAMBULLA, MINNERIYA, TRINCOMALEE TRIP REPORT IN JULY 2013...............................

We started our trip from Colombo and arrived in Dambulla and climbed the famous DAMBULLA rock.

The water seeps from the rock and falls into this Bucket drop by drop and has been taking place for centuries.

The frescoes on the rock above are synonymous here.

The Entrance

The temple doors are closed at 10 30 am for the rituals.

Sigiriya rock seen from  Dambulla rock.

The Museum and the stupa done in  recent times.

The Kassapa Lions rock Hotel where we stayed the first day.

In the afternoon , we went to Minneriya national park and saw this Indian nightjar sleeping

A Malabar Pied Hornbill

A  red wattled lapwing with the eggs

 
A Wasp's nest

Shikra

There were around 35 Elephants in this herd as this was migration time.

Minneriya Devalay at a distance

After coming together as a unit the Elephants walked towards the lake.

All drank water while moving..

One put a dip..

An adult and a juvenile White bellied Sea Eagle

On the   2nd day morning we drove to Trincomalee and on the way from Habarana Junction we diverted to the left and went to see Ritigala

The ruins of Ritigala monastery are located on the eastern side of the mountain at the foot of the gorge which separates the main peak from the northern ridge of the range. The ruins cover an area of 24 hectares (59 acres).

The monastery precinct begins at the office of the on-site branch of Department of Archeology of Sri Lanka close to the foot of the reservoir named Banda Pokuna. The ancient man-made reservoir is a feat of engineering with a bund of polygonal plan completing a circumference of 366 meters. The construction of the reservoir is credited to King Pandukabhaya (437 -367 BC). The reservoir possibly served a ritual bathing purpose, with visitors bathing there before entering the monastery.
. The procession is similar to that of Kataragama where pilgrims begins with a cleansing bath at Kataragama Manik river and end with an offering to the God Skanda, the benevolent Hindu deity of Kataragama at the main shrine.
The edge of the reservoir is followed in a clockwise direction to arrive at the other bank, and cross the bed of the stream feeding the reservoir. The steep steps here onwards lead up to a beautifully constructed pavement, a stone path 1.5 meters wide that meander upwards through the forest, linking the major buildings of the monastery. The stone cut path is laid with interlocking four-sided slabs of hewn stone. Three large circular platforms at intervals along the pavement allow for rest.

 

There are stone structures named double-platforms, which are characteristic of Ritigala and other forest monasteries such as Arankele, Veherabandigala and the western monasteries at Anuradhapura. Spread over an area of about 120 acres are about 50 such double platforms.
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Another 500 meters and two further sunken courtyards are seen. The first courtyard contains a large double platform structure, one of the largest stone structures in the entire monastery; one of the platforms preserves the remains of the pillars which once supported a building. A few meters beyond lies the second courtyard and another large double platform.

 

With the exception of a few broken granite Buddha statues in a number of caves, Ritigala has none of the traditional icons of Buddhist temples: no bodhi tree, no stupas. The first Lanka Vihare (temple) was founded near Ritigala at the foot of the mountain in the second century BC. The Aritta Vihare was founded a century afterwards. Royals proved generous patrons. In the ninth century AD, King Sena made endowment of the monastery, a larger complex higher up the slope for a group of Buddhist ascetics called the Pansukulikas (rag robes) monks who devoted themselves to extreme austerity in search of supreme enlightenment.
Such was the detachment of these Buddhist ascetics from the traditional life of Buddhist monks at village temples, their robes were simply cleaned, washed and repaired rags, mostly shrouds picked up from cemeteries, in line with one of the thirteen ascetic practices (Dhutanga) outlined in Buddhism.

 

The order of ritual bathing tank, ruins of entrance complex and a pedestrian path seem to indicate devotees in large numbers visiting the monastery

Over a stone bridge lie interlocking ashlars and the ruins of a monastery hospital, where the medicinal herbs-leaves and roots-grinding stones and huge stone cut Ayurvedic oil baths can still be seen.

Raised platforms formed by retaining walls of massive stones are found in pairs, linked together by a stone bridge. The main axis of the combined platforms is set exactly east west. The structures were then most possibly roofed and divided into rooms. These are believed to be used for solitary practices such as meditation, as well as congregational functions such as teaching and ceremony

The only example of representational carving to be found at Ritigala is in the form of decorated urinals that consist of urine cup, drain hole and foot supports. It is believed that these decorated stones were meant to depict the architectural and ritualistic excesses of the orthodox monastic chapters to which the Pamsukuilikaa (monks devoted to extreme austerity) were opposed. It is also argued that the act of urination on decorated urinal stones was for them a symbolic act of dissociation

We ended up in Trinco town.

On the way to to Fort.

The Fort entrance.

The Temple inside Fort

The path to the famous Konesar Kovil

The infamous lovers leap

This  was the place  we stayed the 2nd day.

The chalet we stayed is seen

The famous shallow sea is right in front of the chalet

A multicolored crab

SCENERY FROM ABOVE

A giant squirel

A monkey trying to keep company.

A sri Lanka Horn Bill

These are the priceless photos of the Sunrise.

We ended our trip by going to see the Kannya hot wells.

It is true. The water is quite hot and you can see bubbles coming up