Advertisement
Published: September 3rd 2013
Edit Blog Post
28th Buddha
Little did I know that Siddhartha was the latest in a long line of Buddhas. The Once and Future Buddha:
Our new friend Chathu decided to take us to the standing Buddhas in the forest of Maligawila, a short ride from the township of Monaragala where we were staying. She said we'd leave at 3:30, which was a good idea because the day was still very hot even then.
Many pilgrims, some quite elderly, were coming and going on the forest road, and there were large black monkeys scampering about and jumping and swinging through the trees.
When we got to the first statue Chathu explained that it was the 28th Buddha, the most recent one to live on earth. We squinted at the immense figure in the direction of the sinking sun, and then--removing our shoes of course-- we walked all around the base of it, marvelling at the size even of its feet. The statue had fallen and broken sometime in the past but was repaired and re-erected during her father's lifetime.
Next Chathu took us down another dirt road to the ancient palace where a famous king had lived. We think she said in the 7th century. The palace outline was still intact, with walls made of massive blocks,
The tallest standing Buddha in Sri Lanka
Carved from a single large limestone rock, this is considered to be the tallest ancient free-standing Buddha image in Sri Lanka. some of which at least were quartz, and topped with bricks. Inside the palace area, nature had taken over with trees and creatures, but the scale of the palace was still clear.
Our third stop was down another forest path and up some flights of steps in an area inhabited by brown monkeys, to see the statue of the future Buddha. When this Buddha will arrive, no one knows, but the sculptor carved a necklace on him which some people interpret to mean that he will come from a wealthy family.
Our stay in Monaragala was lots of fun, and we were surprised to be told that foreigners hardly ever went there. It's certainly off the main tourist route, neither surf beach nor mountains/waterfalls, but it's a lovely agricultural area with smiling people.
Actually, the exceptionally friendly people are the best part of Sri Lanka.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.102s; Tpl: 0.023s; cc: 14; qc: 31; dbt: 0.062s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
HZ
non-member comment
amazing
very nice pictures! I feel like going to Sri Lanka