With curfews becoming more regular in the North and my teaching completed, I decided to return to Colombo and do a few days’ travelling on my own. A big undertaking as now in my 50s, it had been 30 years since I had done any backpacking. As it happened it was such a positive experience, it was the catalyst for reclaiming the travel bug and began many more years of backpacking with my husband, Mark.
My memories “ I travelled in a three-wheeler to the bus station, through incredible traffic, with buses and cars cutting across us as we weaved our way. The bus ticket to Kandy is 120 rupees. It has air con for the two and half hour trip. We drove up the A6 and A9 highways but the longest part of the trip was leaving the bus station - 30 minutes. The policy is that although air con buses are more expensive, passengers are allotted their own seat but they only leave the depot once the bus is full.”
With not much planning time or forethought, I decided to do a whistle-stop tour of three historic centres in the hill district of Sri Lanka.
First I stayed in Kandy, the Sinhalese cultural and spiritual centre. It is set by a picturesque lake and has lush and green vegetation, in stark contrast to the dry, dusty north.
The town centre, with many shops and markets, is close to the lake and there are many guest houses and places to stay near by.
I joined the throngs of tourists at the Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) on the northern side of Lake Kandy. The temple houses a most important Buddhist relic - a sacred tooth of the Buddha. This temple was constructed under the Kandyan kings from 1687. High security here after a bomb blast at the entrance in 1998.
I really enjoyed staying in Kandy. I appreciated the cooler climate and lush surrounds. The town was cosmopolitan with many bakeries, a variety of restaurants and some excellent bookshops.
Next stop was Polonnaruwa, a 4 hour bus journey along a ‘green and pleasant’ highway.
My first impressions were very positive of a town with a fascinating history. Polonnaruwa was the capital in the eleventh century, mainly due to the absence of mosquitoes at the time. My first priority was finding accommodation and I found Devi Guest House for 750 rupees.
With excellent home-cooked meals
Polonnaruwa was the second most ancient of Sri Lanka’s kingdom was a royal capital for three centuries, dating from 1070 AD and the ruins of the dynasty are spread through 5 sites and are considered the best planned archeological relic sites in the country. The kingdom was a major trade and agricultural centre, due to the early development of efficient irrigation systems to ensure continual crop growth. The city was invaded in 1214 by the northern Aryacakravarti dynasty when the Jaffna kingdom was established.
I started my investigation at the museum, wishing I’d paid more attention to my South Asian studies professor and had a better memory for all treasures I’d learnt about in the early ‘70s. The museum was first class with each room dedicated to a theme - citadel, outer city, monastery and Hindu monuments. (I’m sorry that the reproduction of these photos from a poor camera don’t do these items justice)
Here is a bird’s eye view of one of the sites
Late in the afternoon a few of us from the guest house walked down to the Rest House on the promontory by the Tank, an artificial lake, for sunset drinks.
M
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