Lazy morning and The Dambulla Temple Caves

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This morning I felt the need for some down time so the girls went off to see how people lived in Sri Lanka. They went on a boat on the lake, on an ox drawn cart and to a home where they saw how they cook and they tasted some food They told me all about it when they got back. They enjoyed their morning while I just pottered and chilled out.
In the afternoon we drove through Dambullas busy market town full of warehouses piled high with fruit and vegetables that were to be exported and saw many lorries being loaded up.
Upul took us to the caves at Dambulla Golden Temple. Sri Lanka seems to be full of clouds of white butterflies. He drove us half way up the hill where we met the sweetest elderly man who would be our guide. He wasn’t a monk but he seemed to be like a holy man. He was very knowledgeable and gave us some great insights into the Buddhist religion.
Ladies in saries were selling lotus flowers to put in the temples so we climbed the many stairs (carve muscles still aching from Sigiriya Rock) to the top carry a bunch each. The views from the top were wonderful and we could see Sigiriya Rock in the distance.
The caves were stunning. There are eighty altogether but we just saw the main five which were filled with statues and beautifully painted walls and ceilings. There are 152 Buddha statues and three statues of Sri Lankan kings. Also four statues of gods and goddesses including Vishnu and Ganesh.
We passed the Buddi Tree and went exploring. The eldest Buddha statues are over two thousand years old and are carved into the cave walls themselves. This Temple is the most important Temple in Sri Lanka and has been a place of worship since 1st century BC.
In one if the caves there is a vessel which collects drips of water from the ceiling all the year around no mater how hot the weather. The ceiling of the cave is the top of the mountain so the question is where does the water come from? The vessel is caged and the water is considered to be holy water.
It was so hot today and we were glad that we had bought socks to wear to protect our feet on the hot stone ground.
We walked down the steep steps and slopes with our lovely man, monkeys all around us. At the bottom Upul was waiting to drive us back. We stopped at a new temple with a very large golden Buddha and saw a very large jack fruit on a tree. A very peaceful afternoon though very hot and humid.

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Comments

[Christine anderson]

Amazing
What a wonderful trip you are having. Lovely photos.

[Virginia]

Loving it
Mummy loving your blog and photos, wow wish I’d seen the elephants like that wild and free, love you xx