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Published: October 24th 2010
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Much smaller than Polonnaruwa or Anuradhapura but spectacular just the same.
The entrance is very, very kitch. The Japanese built a museum and a huge golden Buddha with a row of bright orange monk statues leading up to it. Tacky to say the least.
Then there are the usual hundreds of steps and I love the way they manage to make every step a different size so that you can never get into any kind of rhythm! It’s hot and hard work but my trick is to stop and admire the view every few minutes, that way people have no idea that you are so unfit and that your heart is thumping as if it is trying to get out of your chest.
There are the usual sellers of trinkets along the way but you can’t stop there or they think they are in with a chance and I never like to mislead anyone.
Once there the shoes come off yet again, but this time I remembered to bring some socks. They stop your feet getting filthy and also help protect from 3rd degree burns. The entrance to the rock temples is beautiful in it’s self, although
not terribly old it is done with taste unlike the Japanese effort at the bottom.
Then into the temples which are natural caves adorned with painted ceilings and walls and amazing collections of Buddha statues, boddhisatvas and even dagobas. This place is truly amazing and is not to be missed on a trip to Sri Lanka - which I hope you will all make one day (I am willing to act as a personal guide if you like).
Some of the caves date back to pre Christian times while others are younger but all are incredibly impressive whether you are Buddhist or not
While I was sitting in one of the cave temples, a young man of about 28 came and started chatting. Not what I was really wanting but he seemed nice enough. I explained that I didn’t want a guide and he said that he wasn’t and had I seen the old dagoba behind the temples. Came and see my etchings? No, he was too young.
So we set off down the back way from the temples and it was a really beautiful walk, you can see the photos. The old dagoba was impressive
and yet another UNESCO site. Then we walked back and he noticed the large angry insect bite on the back of my neck and said that a friend had some ayuvedic cream that would help. We picked that up from a seller along the way and I sat on a rock while he massaged this stuff in. Then…oh why do I not see it coming, he said that I should come up again this evening to see the wonderful sunset and he would give me a full body massage and then he put his arm around me. WHAT THE….. No thank you I said and shot of quickly down all the steps.
Silly boy. Well he didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the wonderful temples and I would go back again but next time give him a smack!
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