BAMBULLA ROCK TEMPLE

Dating back to the 1st Century BC, this is the most impressive cave temple in Sri Lanka. It has five caves under a vast overhanging rock, carved with a drip line to keep the interiors dry. In 1938 the architecture was embellished with arched colonnades and gabled entrances. Inside the caves, the ceilings are painted with intricate patterns of religious images following the contours of the rock. There are images of the Lord Buddha and bodhisattvas, as well as various gods and goddesses.

The temple is composed of five caves, which have been converted into shrine rooms. The caves, built at the base of a 150m high rock during the Anuradhapura (1st Century BC to 993 AD) and Polonnaruwa times (1073 to 1250), are by far the most impressive of the many cave temples found in Sri Lanka. Access is along the gentle slope of the Dambulla Rock, offering a panoramic view of the surrounding flat lands, which includes the rock fortress Sigiriya, 19kms away. Families of friendly monkeys make the climb even more interesting. Dusk brings hundreds of

swooping swallows to the cave entrance.

The largest cave measures about 52m from east to west, and 23m from the entrance to the back, this spectacular cave is 7m tall at its highest point. Hindu deities are also represented here, as are the kings Valgamba and Nissankamalla, and Ananda - the Buddha's most devoted disciple.

Within these shrine rooms is housed a collection of one hundred and fifty statues of the Buddhist Order and the country's history. These statues and paintings are representative of many epochs of Sinhala sculpture and art. The Buddha statues are in varying sizes and attitudes - the largest is 15 metres long. One cave has over 1,500 paintings of Buddha covering the ceiling.

The Dambulla cave monastery is still functional and remains the best-preserved ancient edifice in Sri Lanka. This complex dates from the 3rd and 2nd Centuries BC, when it was already established as one of the largest and most important monasteries. King Walagambahu is traditionally thought to have converted the caves into a temple in the 1st century BC. Exiled from Anuradhapura, he sought refuge here from South Indian usurpers for 15 years. After reclaiming his capital, the King built a temple in thankful worship. Many other kings added to it later and by the 11th century, the caves had become a major religious centre and still are. King Nissanka Malla gilded the caves and added about 70 Buddha statues in 1190. During the 18th century, the caves were restored and painted by the Kandyan Kings.

The first cave is called Devarajalena, or "Cave of the Divine King." An account of the founding of the monastery is recorded in a first-century Brahmi inscription over the entrance to the first cave. This cave is dominated by the 14-meter statue of the Buddha, hewn out of the rock. It has been repainted countless times in the course of its history, and probably received its last coat of paint in the 20th century. At his feet is Buddha's favorite pupil, Ananda; at his head, Vishnu, said to have used his divine powers to create the caves.

In the second and largest cave, in addition to 16 standing and 40 seated statues of Buddha, are the gods Saman and Vishnu, which pilgrims often decorate with garlands, and finally statues of King Vattagamani, who honored the monastery in the first century B.C., and King Nissanka Malla, responsible in the 12th century for the gilding of 50 statues, as indicated by a stone inscription near the monastery entrance. This cave is accordingly called Maharajalena, "Cave of the Great Kings." The Buddha statue hewn out of the rock on the left side of the room is escorted by wooden figures of the Bodhisattvas Maitreya (left) and Avalokiteshvara or Natha (right). There is also a dagoba and a spring which drips its water, said to have healing powers, out of a crack in the ceiling. Valuable tempera paintings on the cave ceiling dating from the 18th century depict scenes from Buddha's life, from the dream of Mahamaya to temptation by the demon Mara. Further pictures relate important events from the country's history.

The third cave, the Maha Alut Vihara, the "Great New Monastery," acquired ceiling and wall paintings in the typical Kandy style during the reign of King Kirti Sri Rajasinha (1747-1782), the famous Buddhist revivalist. In addition to the 50 Buddha statues, there is also a statue of the king.

The fourth and fifth caves are smaller; they date from a later period and are not of such high quality. A small Vishnu Devale between the first and second caves attracts many worshipers.

SIGIRIYA

It is a tale of treachery and deceit, love and hate, triumph and disaster that has fascinated people down the ages. It is also a tale of craftsmanship and sensuous art, the legacy of which still holds people in awe, more than 15 centuries later.

All about Sigiriya and more will now be available to “discerning” tourists, both local and foreign, at the state-of-the-art Sigiriya Museum and Information Centre -- having as its backdrop the formidable rock fortress – to be opened shortly.

Many are familiar with the Kasyapan period (477-495 AC), when King Kasyapa, after murdering his father King Dhatusena made his home at Sigiriya, creating a different image of this forbidding rock outcrop, starting with a passage leading through the lion’s paws and encompassing the lion staircase, the mirror wall, the beautiful apsaras, the water gardens, moated palaces, boulder gardens, terrace gardens et al.

But what of the pre- and post-Kasyapa period, asks Central Cultural Fund (CCF) Director-General Prof. Sudarshan Seneviratne, explaining its many-layered history.

Sigiriya, in addition to being a World Heritage Site, is also one of the very few large secular sites with an unbroken history from 5,000 BC to contemporary periods. It depicts a “microcosm” of the cultural and technological phases of Sri Lanka, he says.

The museum represents all these facets in their totality, he adds, explaining that the concept was conceived by the first Director of the Sigiriya Project, Prof. Senake Bandaranayake who later took up the mantle of CCF D-G, assisted by various eminent scholars. The concept was translated into the material structure by Architect Chandana Ellepola, while the internal design was handled by Japanese experts who were advised by a team of Sri Lankan specialists.

Picking out one of many factors which make this museum unique, Prof. Seneviratne says it is the first with facilities for the differently-abled.



While the whole area is naturally landscaped to blend with the environment, the location is scenic, built on the Yan Oya, with most of the trees branching skyward through the museum and streams winding through it giving out a merry tinkling tone. “This is in keeping with the ability of the ancient builders who not only laid out the garden elements in a grid pattern but also embraced organic beauty and asymmetry, moulding their building on to boulders although they had sufficient engineering knowledge to remove them,” he says.

All important features of Sigiriya such as the frescoes, spiral staircase and bubble fountain have been replicated, The Sunday Times understands. “This is a bonus for anyone who cannot scale the rock,” says the DG.


The spiral staircase is made to the same scale as the actual one, giving a true picture while the “objects gallery” for sculpture, coins, graffiti writing will exhibit some beautiful pieces, pride of place being given to the intricately carved single ear ornament found at the site and believed to have been worn by a Sigiriya maiden.

Even the biodiversity and the important archaeological monuments around the rock fortress such as the pre-historic Megalithic burials at Ibbankatuwa will be represented, says Prof. Seneviratne adding that another unique exhibit will be the partially-conserved original furnace used for steel-making with tuyeres and all, brought from Alakolawewa, a vast iron smelting site in the olden days, close to Sigiriya.

Some of the exhibits including the burials, the landscaped presentation of Sigiriya as also the backdrop of the rock and authentic imitation of the fresco pocket were turned out in Japan, explains the DG, adding that it was like a “giant jigsaw puzzle” with the pieces being brought down and carefully assembled in Sri Lanka.

Explaining that it is difficult to pinpoint all the extraordinary features of the museum, he says that the Chulavamsa section on the Kaspaya legend has been engraved on a glass panel near the amphitheatre which doubles up as a performance balcony.

Another lure for the tourist will be the “visitor approachable” conservation laboratory, while additional attractions will be a library and archival facility, an information centre run by the Tourism Ministry, internet facilities, a sales outlet for authentic replicas from Bataleeiya and a restaurant. “The museum will be an ideal research centre for archaeologists and conservators,” he says.

The centerpiece, according to Prof. Seneviratne, is the glass-topped model of Sigiriya with water gardens and all, giving a bird’s eye view of its grandeur.

About the museum

The Sigiriya Museum and Information Centre has been funded by Japan, through JICA, under its Project for the Development of Culture-oriented Tourism (COT) which hopes to promote nature-culture-traditional lives. The funds were channelled through the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage and the project executed by the CCF.

The museum was a long felt need to attract the up-end tourist market, local as well as foreign, stressed CCF DG Prof. Seneviratne. “These tourists look beyond simplistic information or just visiting a site and moving on.”

There are a few such museums scattered across the country, in addition to the National Museum in Colombo, The Sunday Times understands. These include the Polonnaruwa museum funded by the Netherlands and the Abhayagiriya Museum in Anuradhapura funded by the Chinese. The Marine Archaeology Museum including a marine biology section located in the Warehouse in Galle and funded by the Netherlands is due to be opened soon.

“We are looking beyond the tourists who come for a quickie three-hour jaunt,” said the DG, explaining that they are attempting to lure the tourists at least to stay a night at this World Heritage Site. That’s why the CCF wanted to offer something more than the site, surveys having shown that a lesser percentage of tourists come for the beach but more come in search of nature, herbal treatment and heritage.

Sigiriya offers the full “ensemble”, stresses Prof. Seneviratne, pointing out that Sigiriya is a World Heritage Site along with beautiful and scenic archaeological sites around it as well and is located on a protected nature reserve, with an abundance of fauna and flora while traditional communities such as chena farmers, cattle-herders and potters still live around it. The primary stakeholders of all this are the local community who will also be able to “show off” their skills in their own settings.

The logistical advantages are many as well, The Sunday Times learns, with Sigiriya being centrally located, offering short excursions to Ritigala, Dambulla, the rose-quartz hill at Namal Uyana, Avukana and Kala Wewa and other natural attractions such as lakes and rock outcrops as well as wildlife resorts.

Its history

Period 1: Prehistory – Prehistoric humans are believed to have lived at Sigiriya between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago.
Period 2: Proto-history, between 1,000 and 300 BC, when village settlements began along with irrigation and the production and use of iron.
Period 3: Early monastic, from about the 3rd to 1st century BC marking the establishment of early Buddhist monks’ settlements around rock-shelter residences.
Period 4: Pre-Kasyapa between the 1st and 5th centuries AC. Development of large-scale iron production and construction of fortified Mapalagala complex, with ‘cyclopean’ walls and terraces, south of Sigiriya rock.
Period 5: Kasyapa I from 477-495 AC.
Periods 6 & 7: Later monastic A & B from 6th to 10th century, with the setting up of a new Buddhist monastery in the western sector and the Boulder Garden area in the early part.
Period 8: Polonnaruwa Period – From 11th to 13th century, rise of Polonnaruwa and decline of monastery construction at Sigiriya.
Period 9: Abandonment from the late 13th to the 17th century, with rural settlements surviving but no urban and monastic activity.
Period 10: Sigiriya appears to have been an outer province of the Kandyan kingdom.
Period 11: Antiquarian interest when in the 19th century Sigiriya seems to have “recovered”.
Period 12: Modern recovery when in 1894, archaeological investigation, restoration and conservation by the Archaeological Department begins.

Sri Lanka Places of Interest

KANDY

District : KandyTypical

Weather : CoolDist.

From Colombo : 116 Km

Sri Lanka's hill capital, stronghold of the Sinhala Kings, is our most beautiful town. It is 488 metres above sea level and next to Colombo is Sri Lanka's most visited place. The focal point of the town is, without doubt, the golden roofed Dalada Maligawa where the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha is enshrined. Major restoration work is in progress here by the UNESCO - aided Central Cultural Fund. The highlight of the year is the Esala Perahera, when a replica of the relic casket is taken in procession accompanied by exotically costumed dancers, drummers and about 80 to 100 elephants during ten glittering nights in July/August. Visit Kalapuraya in the beautiful Dumbara valley 8 km. from Kandy, where descendants of the ancient craftsmen still create items of rare elegance in metal and wood. There are many shrines and temples in and around Kandy, where you will see rare paintings, frescoes, wood and stone carvings. Don't miss the Peradeniya Gardens begun as a pleasure garden by a Sinhala King, with its amazing variety of trees, plants and flowers. Kandy is an exciting place for shopping with souvenirs in wood, copper, silver, brass, ebony and bronze. Ceramics, lacquer work, handlooms, batiks, jewellery and rush and reed-ware can also be purchased.

NUWARA ELIYA

District : Nuwera Eliya

Typical Weather : CoolDist.

From Colombo : 180 Km

Set in the heart of the tea-country, this beautiful town is where the British succeeded in creating an English countryside with homes in styles from Georgian to Queen Anne. Well-kept lawns with hedges, an Anglican church and the famous golf course and beautiful parks give the place an air of nostalgia. Situated at 1890 metres above sea level, the air here is cool and fresh - a serene retreat from the hustle and bustle of Colombo. Close to Nuwara Eliya are Horton Plains, Sri Lanka's highest and most isolated plateau. Nature lovers will revel in this wide, patna grass covered plain, the haunt of many wild yet harmless animals and the home of many species of birds. Bridle paths will take you to the precipice known as World's End - a sheer drop of 1050 metres. Acres and acres of tea with its lush green foliage extend miles across the hills and no visit to the hill country is complete without a visit to a tea estate and the chance to purchase some of the world's finest flavoured tea - our major export crop.

Current Details

Land area: 24,996 sq mi (64,740 sq km)
Total area: 25,332 sq mi (65,610 sq km)

Population (2010 est.): 21,513,990 (growth rate: 0.9%);
birth rate: 15.8/1000;
infant mortality rate: 18.1/1000;
life expectancy: 75.3;
density per sq mi: 809

Languages: Sinhala 74% (official and national), Tamil 18% (national), other 8%; English is commonly used in government and spoken competently by about 10%

Ethnicity / Race: Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001)

Religions: Buddhist 70%, Islam 8%, Hindu 7%, Christian 6% (2001)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2009 est.): $96.43 billion; per capita $4,500. Real growth rate: 3.5%. Inflation: 3.4%. Unemployment: 5.9%. Arable land: 14%. Agriculture: rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef; fish. Labor force: 8.08 million; services 45%, agriculture 38%, industry 17% (1998 est.). Industries: processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities; telecommunications, insurance, banking; clothing, textiles; cement, petroleum refining. Natural resources: limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower. Exports: $7 billion (2009 est.): textiles and apparel, tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish. Imports: $9.6 billion (2009 est.): textile fabrics, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and transportation equipment. Major trading partners: U.S., UK, India, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Iran, Japan, Malaysia

Government

Republic.

Geography

An island in the Indian Ocean off the southeast tip of India, Sri Lanka is about half the size of Alabama. Most of the land is flat and rolling; mountains in the south-central region rise to over 8,000 ft (2,438 m).

Sri Lanka Map