Auybowan Olu Ella Inn. Ayubowan Sri Lanka

We returned  home to Olu Ella Inn on a high note after such a great trip and immediately the usual home - y things began.

Sign on road, before the car park

People to visit, people visiting us, family and guesthouse business to be attended to, washing and packing to do, writing the list of what to bring next trip . . . .

Olu Ella Inn's Pool - the We Oya

 Last swims in our very own cool pool . . . . . .  

Olu Ella Inn - Our guesthouse home

From our balcony we can enjoy the river

 Sam has been trying to get work done to complete the car park but in the absence of people willing to appear to do the work, decided to leave it until our March trip. Happily it is sufficiently completed to be able to use!

 One day we took a walk up the village as far as the school and the temple. This is always a very pleasant walk with people to meet and greet, changes to note, the village's unique environment to appreciate all over again. 

 I think that this walk energises our spirit and gives us a reality check, a balance on life. This is where we come from. I include myself in this because it was here that I really became an adult and to understand the person I was, and wanted to be. All this, because of the generousity and love of my husband's family. I have gained so much from my connections to this family and village.

 When we reached the school, I was pleased to see that there were men actually working on fixing the roof. They had actually removed it completely from one of the buildings and were putting a new one. Things are looking up - a few months ago the school got a sign board on the road down the mountain and now . . . . .a new roof !

For three years now, I have been trying to find a group of senior school students in Australia who would be able to come to this school during the holidays to interact with students and staff and assist with resources. It looked as if this was going to be a reality until the State Education Department here refused permission on the grounds that there was too much risk to the students. So now I am hoping to attract a private school as they pretty much make their own rules in these matters.

Dombepola School

The reason I am keen to do this is that not only did my high achieving husband start his education at this remote and poor school but also the staff here are very motivated to achieve the best results for their students and actually set themselves attainment goals several years ago - and have met them. [Haven't heard of that in SL before, but maybe this is more common now.] These goals relate to keeping their 90 students at school, improving their OL exam passes by yearly incremental percentages, persuading students to stay on and do the AL exams AND eliminating absenteeism of the girls who are prone to be kept home to assist with housework and childminding for their parents and older married sisters or aunts. THAT really resonated clearly with me!

Former student and his school, Dombepola

It is worth saying that the increased passes in the external exams has come about by teacher dedication as these students do not have access to the normal tuition and cramming that is a daily after school activity for almost all other students. This is the country where the class teacher waits until the tuition class to do the teaching the government has already paid them to do. I must add that one of our relatives is currently studying the ethics of this entrenched behaviour and at last there is a glimmer that people are questioning this unethical practice.

Dombepola

What the school would really like is for one of their buildings to have a small room added on to the end of one building so that they can have a small library. At present all they have is a cupboard in the small room that is also the Principal's office and staffroom. That cupboard contains some English readers that have not been used because the teachers don't know how to use them. This is a simple matter to rectify because I could teach some Australian senior students how to use these books and they could use them with the young schoolchildren. I think that then the teachers would feel more confident to bring them out of the cupboard ! It would have to be done in a casual manner . . .  

The building of the library would be no big deal  - no permits to get, plans could be drawn by Sam and the parents would provide labour with their normal shramadana ie a working bee. We would need to employ only a couple of paid workers. It would be easier to just give the relatively small amount needed to do this but I think that involvement by Australian students would give the small school a huge boost of confidence that would resonate for a long time and the Australian students would gain a life changing experience themselves. I also believe that the villagers have to contribute themselves and all they can give is their work. While there is sometimes the expectation that all should be given by those who apparently have to those who feel they have not, I never support this attitude. I do support those who are educationally ambitious, show initiative in helping themselves and do not expect others to give to them.

Right ! I'm off my soapbox! 

After we had visited the school - holiday time so only the builders were there, we climbed up the steps to the village temple. This really is a small shrine under a Bo tree that seems to be part of the huge rock that it sits on. There is a small hall where the sermons and children's Buddhist classes are held and also community meetings. This is a community that has a village Committee that takes care of the community's needs such as assistance with funerals and so on. You can't have secrets when you live in a village perhaps because people walk everywhere, stopping to chat and give out news as we ourselves do!

Paddy fields - not at Dombepola though

We then took an invisible path through paddy fields to our old family home a little lower down the mountain where we stopped for a while at the graves of Sam's Mother, Father and sister. This track was the best place to take photos of part of Olu Ella Falls on the opposite side of the river gorge.

Olu Ella Falls, dusk and in the mist

While all this normal activity was ocurring, we were processing our experiences for the ten days we were away touring. For Sam, while he appreciated the deeper insights into his country's history which also shed light on things that he finds so very frustrating and limiting as well as the civil and structural engineering delights of the ruins, the highlight was the Elephant Safari at Kaudalla. Melanie also loved the Elephant Safari, was keenly interested in the ancient history of the country of her birth but could not name a specific highlight. By now she has probably processed everything and made a decision ! For myself, seeing so many elephants in their own environment, roaming at will was especially thrilling. The intense feeling of exhiliration and achievement coupled with the unique social atmosphere at the top of Adam's Peak is something that I think I will feel for the rest of my life. Of the ruins, Polonnaruwa is my favourite place for its beauty, enticing glimpses into ancient Lanka and links to the days when my marriage was young. So many happy memories from the old past and now from the new past to give me energy and sustain me during whatever the future may bring.

Olu Ella Inn and Dombepola are a huge part of our lives. We make a big effort to present the best product we can with the guesthouse, keeping it beautifully clean and well maintained. Maintainence is not easy in this climate and also with the prevailing work ethic. Materials are not easy to access and although it is a small island, this part of Sri Lanka is somewhat remote because of road networks and conditions. But at least we do the work ourselves if workers don't turn up when expected and we put the money in. The rooms are completely cleaned, floors washed, bed linens new for every client. This was not the case at two places we stayed at during our tour - they were absolutely shockingly maintained, the owners simply not interested in providing cleanliness and value for money. On our return, Melanie made the statement that Olu Ella was the cleanest place of all - she was probably just about right although I thought that some guesthouses were really good.

Happy - the former baby, Sad - the father

During this visit I kept thinking back to the previous times we had visited Polonnaruwa . . .  and was surprised to realise what four decades actually meant in terms of change in those areas. The same is happening with us and for Sam and his 'batchmates" it is obvious that time is passing just a little quickly. This is why we spent our last night in Colombo - a place we usually take care to avoid. We stayed with one of Sam's friends who lives overseas but was currently in the country so he and Sam caught up with each other's news and chatted about their school days and school friends until late into the night.

In the early evening we went to Kollupitiya to the street where we lived many years ago when Melanie was a very small baby. What a shock ! It was so very changed with the alley of family houses with individual gardens, trees, with the sound of the sea in the background - gone. In its place ugly, paint lacking structures with storeys added, high fences in its place. This peaceful area is now sandwiched between Galle Road and another parallel one that roars along a few meters from high tide mark. 

Galle Face Green, Colombo

 Wanting to end our visit on a more upbeat note, we headed to Galle Face Green. This is where we used to come with our baby daughter to enjoy the evening sea breezes. It did not disappoint! Families and tourists alike strolled along the embankment between the stalls selling food, drinks and souvenirs. 

The daring ventured carefully into the small waves. 

Kites flew. And down at the Kollupitiya end, the Galle Face Hotel stood tall 

and watched us all . . . . . . . 

just as it has done for a very long time !

Galle Face hotel, watching .  . . .

                                               

                                                   Auybowan, Sri Lanka. 

                           We'll be back. Soon.

Kassapa's Palace in the sky - Sigiriya

The continuous rain all night did not promise the best conditions for today’s event – climbing Sigiriya. However we left Giritale hotel at 8am hoping that the rain would ease, and it did. The drive to Sigiriya was a very pleasant one, especially when we left the main road and took a short cut through elephant country. We saw evidence that elephants had indeed been at the roadside very recently – branches of trees pulled low and piles of dung along the road. Some parts had areas with electric fences and there were notices warning not to stray off road as it was “Elephant Country” and “Elephant Crossing” so I was hoping that we would see one near the road however this was not to be the case.

Sigiriya's claim to fame is that it is a Royal Palace in the sky atop a huge rock that towers above the jungle plains below it - 370m [ 1,214ft ] above sea level. this came about because one Prince Kassapa in the 12th century ousted his father King Dhatusena from his throne in Anuradhapura. This did not go well with his brother and many of the King's loyal subjects so the Prince, who was now King Kassapa, had to flee in a hurry. He took himself and his entourage to Sigiriya where he had himself built a fortified Palace in the sky where he had, on a clear day, 360 degree views to see any approaching military threats.

As well as being a bit of a rogue, he also seems to have had an eye for beautiful things , notably the Art Gallery of beautiful maidens etched on the rock face about half way up the rock and several meticulously laid out gardens at the foot of the rock.

It was raining persistently but lightly when we arrived so it was umbrellas up and head for the start of many steps. As we were walking through the gardens at the front of the mountain the rain and mist eased slightly so we could see the lower half of the mountain. 

Lower Cave

The first flights of steps reached a lower cave so we stopped here for a few minutes then it was onwards and upwards, heading to the caves that had the pictures on the wall. These pictures are really lovely and worth the climb to this point, even if you go no further. The king seems to have liked beautiful things with the ladies colourfully adorned with jewels and holding a lotus flower.

A circular iron staircase was the access to this cave and while the steps were metal and quite sturdy, the hand rail had rusted away and part of it was flapping around causing me to scrape my arm while coming back down. Medical stop completed, we continued upwards to the lion’s paws which meant that the final ascent was imminent. 

The Lion Staircase

Circular Staircase to the Ancient Art Gallery

Still raining, we left Sam to take shelter in a shed that had been constructed for people to shelter from the hornets that are present in the dry months. As this had only netting for a roof, [ green shed in upper right of lower photo ] he still needed his umbrella!  At the first platform I stopped to wave to him and was glad that he had made it so far and would be waiting when I came down.

Looking down at top of lower hill.

The climb was quite easy as the metal steps were firm and the hand rail secure and there weren’t many other people climbing, thanks to the rain. By the time we reached the top, the rain had stopped and it was just misty.

Metal staircase - with handrail !

 Seeing a girl standing on the edge of a ruined building high on a mountain under a brightly coloured umbrella with bright white mist enveloping her was a vision to remember. 

Then the mist lifted a little and we could see more of the rock ruins. Brief patches of light between the passing waves of white allowed us to snatch a photograph or two looking out and down.

The King's Pool atop his rock

 Lucky showed us the King’s chair and his swimming pool and told us about what the archaeologists think the palace was like. 

King's Throne

On top of Sigiriya

A few more people were arriving as we headed back down to the Lion’s Paws where Sam was waiting. The mist was clearing more so we were able to take a few photos of the cliff face and stairs hanging off the edge.

From the Lion’s Paw  which is on the top of a hill, Lucky took us down the back was to show us the King’s Audience Hall and throne. 

Audience hall

Once again, the descent was as interesting and as much fun as the ascent and without Lucky we would have missed so much.

Cave

We then headed for Kandy, stopping at Dambulla Bakehouse but this time we had lunch upstairs in the air conditioned restaurant. We then headed for Kandy where we were to have two more nights.

 

Our tour of the Cultural Triangle has been very enjoyable as well as informative and fun. It helps to go with someone who not only knows his way around but is also very knowlegible and friendly. To have the best time, I fully recommend finding a good guide.

Next time, leaving Sri Lanka - but only for a few weeks and then we'll be back!

Polonnaruwa Revisited - a highlight of our trip

We had a comfortable night at a new guesthouse at Habarana, Jay's Holiday Resort. This was a really quiet place with two roomed cabanas placed carefully in the forest- like environment and ensuring enough space between units for a peaceful night's sleep. With good food and a swimming pool, we decided that this would be our base for our next trip to this part of the country. We hope to visit Trincomalee later this year and this would be a good base for that, given that there is not much in the way of accommodation in Trinco.

Two unit cabana at Jay's Holiday Resort, Habarana

Leaving early, we followed Route 11 to Polonnaruwa and as we neared I wondered if this place of my memories had also changed significantly as had Anuradhapura. Soon we were alongside the wide and long Parakrama Samudra - The Sea of Parakrama. Today it was wet and misty but memories from the past of its waters sparkling and twinkling in the bright sun filled my mind, which has been on overload as I recall so many happy memories of my brief but defining time living in this country.

Parakrama Samudra

Parakrama Samudra is the largest  man - made lake in Sri Lanka and is one of 22 in the Polonnaruwa area. It is recorded that one thousand men worked 24 hours to build this lake by connecting five smaller ones. KIng Parakrama Bahu was determined that every drop of water that fell from the skies should be caught to provide for the people and importantly to irrigate the rice fields. It is said that there was even an inland port on Parakrama Samudra and if so it may have been used when, amazingly during his time, Sri Lanka exported rice and was also a strong trading nation. Perhaps because of this prosperity, he was able to have strong military forces and even successfully invaded Burma. [ So I have read !]  


Lanka's days of might and wealth were in the 12th Century ! Another of his achievements  were of enormous interest to Sam - PB was Sri Lanka's first Town Planner ! [ I bestow that honour on him ! I have recently read a tribute to another person, one Oliver Weerasinghe on his 31st death anniversary, claiming that he was Sri Lanka's first Town Planner but I think Parakrama Bahu beat him to that !]  Anyway, Polonnaruwa appears to have been a functional, compact city beautifully laid out with every facility that was needed at the time, constructed very cleverly with the man - made tools and also back breaking efforts from the labourers at the time. PB either had great personal vision and creativity or he was surrounded by the those who were so endowed!

Parakrama Bahu the Great

We stopped first at the Visitor Information Centre and Museum and this was a good idea because we could get an overall idea of the site which gave an idea of what we could look out for and location points. There was a large scale model of the area, before and after excavation photos, artefacts and explanations of how and when things may have happened. We also visited the shop there and picked up a couple of small booklets about the places we had seen. Unusually for Sri Lanka, the toilets here were clean and well maintained.

Missanka Malla's Bath

The Museum was inside the ruins of this ancient city so we left by the back door and went to see the Winter Palace of King Nissanaka Malla who reigned from 1187 - 1196. He  became king after Parakrama Bahu the Great and was only thirty at the time. Perhaps it was his youth that had him do so many things during his brief nine year reign ! We were to see a number of inscriptions , including the famous Galpotha - a stone book which records acivities and conditions during his reign.  He also built a Royal Palace of several stories, the Hatadage -  a place to keep the tooth Relic, and a dagaba. He is recorded as being a very charitably minded person who gave to the poor. Perhaps his greatest achievement might be the civil works he invested in - roads and bridges. A great supporter of Buddhism, he declared that every ruler of the country had to be Buddhist.

Stone Pillar with engravings

From the car park we first passed his bathing pool  beside the tank. Nearby was Nissanka's Winter Palace and an island pavilion - I guess he couldn't go far away for a bit of peace and quiet! Also nearby was his Audience Hall which had pillars engraved with the names of the ministers so they knew where to sit of course, he took the throne ! A film crew was casually setting up here - a small group so not a major production.

Parakrama Bahu's Palace -12th Century

After this we spent a leisurely morning walking around the tranquil but a little wet ruins with a long look at the amazing Royal Palace of King Parakrama the Great ! Way ahead of the times, I think that this was Sri Lanka's first skyscraper - said to be at least seven stories high although some say it was even nine storeys. 

Ruins of Royal Palace, Polonnaruwa

Today you can see the first three storeys which were constructed of brick - great holes in the walls indicate where the beams used to be. The upper storeys were made of wood and I think that they succumbed to a demolishing fire. This palace is said to have had a thousand rooms of which fifty five can be seen today. Some of these would not have had windows and with the very thick walls would have been very dark inside. No doubt the furnishings would have been colourful and luxurious, at least in the royal parts, so this may have allievated any gloomy parts.

Staircase to upper levels of Parakrama Bahu's Palace

Another interesting feature is that there seems to have been a moat around the Palace which is also surrounded by other buildings that were needed to house the the officials, bodyguards and servants.

Sam was fascinated at the design and structure of this amazing building. Obviously built using enforced labour but someone had the know - how, vision, organisational skills . . . . to get the job done. And here we are in 2011 struggling to get reliable labour to finish building a car park at Olu Ella !

Outside rooms of the Royal Palace

If we thought that the Royal Palace was able to claim the status of the Most Inspiring architectural Masterpiece from the twelfth century, the Vatadage is lso a contender for that title ! Seen across the lush green grounds against the white of the misty rain, this presented itself very dramatically! 

Vatadage, Polonnaruwa

Vatadage means "circular" and this building was built to protect a dagaba which would have been built to house some relics. At all four points of the compass there are Buddha statues which contain the remains of the dagaba. These statues have different heads when usually it is the hands that are in different postures. Some of these statues have been seriously damaged - not surprisingly since this monument was reclaimed from the encroaching jungle not all that long ago. 

Vatadage showing Buddha Statue and staircase

Guardstone - Vatadage

The Buddha Statues are easily seen from outside as there is a staircase leading up to each of them. The staircases have ornately carved guardstones, depicting grace and beauty in the jewellery and flowing robes.

We saw similar guardstones at Anuradhapura and Mihintale. They are also similar to the ones we saw in  Siem Reap at Angkor Wat and other ruins nearby. Obviously a world wide feature of architecture at that time !
This Vatadage is thought to have been built by King Parakrama Bahu but King Nissanka Malla may have added to it.
Near the Vatadage is the King's Council Chamber where once again the ministers all had their own spot ! They also had the comfort of toilets just outside with the King having his own special "throne"! The Council Chamber was about 75 feet long and had steps from the side with a moonstone and lion. Lions and elephants are also carved into the frieze around the sides - master masons and sculptors leave us a picture of the art work of the period.

Council Chamber

We came upon an enormous stone slab - the Gal Potha - an ancient book. apparently King Nissanka Malla had this 27 and 1/2  feet by 4 and a 1/2 feet stone brought from Mihintale. I can only guess that several elephants and a great many men were needed to do this! this fact is recorded on the stone as are other records of event and the business of the kingdom.

Gal Potha, Polonnaruwa

We then went to see the statues that are my strongest memory of Polonnaruwa - the four Buddhas - Gal Vihara. These were "built" by King Parakrama Bahu - really they were carved out of a massive rock boulder 180 feet long and 30 feet long. The area was a little changed since my visit there 40 plus years ago with a roof being erected over the statues to protect them from the elements and the surrounding area gaining defined paths and a more cared for grassy area. Although the roof is needed to preserve these historic and still venerated statues I think that it does take away from the spiritual mood. 

Sitting Buddha, Polonnaruwa

This seated Buddha is 15 feet tall and sits on a stone throne in a meditative posture. Very appropriate for the surroundings - so lovely and calm here.

There were quite a few coming and going here today, in contrast with my last visit when it was just myself and two Buddhist monks making offerings.

Standing Buddha, Polonnaruwa

The standing Buddha is 23 feet high. As happens, there has been some intellectual debate as to whether this Statue depicts Buddha or is that of Ananda Thero, a significant Buddhist teacher around that time. The argument for the Buddha  decision is interesting - it is on a lotus pedestal, has a halo, the hair is curled on the right and the position of the hands. I'm learning a lot about interpreting Buddhist statues on this trip !

 It was difficult for me, a not so good photographer, to get  a picture of the reclining Buddha and involved climbing high on a boulder opposite. 


This statue is 46 feet long. Closer, the face looks sad, the toes are not fully aligned, the robe is somewhat ruffled and the stomach has a depression. I think that this is depicting the Buddha after death even though the eyes are not fully closed.
.
We saw many other ruins here at Polonnaruwa but I'll finish this post with a ruin that is a bit different in that it is one of the small Hindhu shrines that are also here in Polonnaruwa showing that there was more than one religion being followed. It would be great, if today, all religious views could be really respected and not used as a means of domination, power grabbing, money making, empire building . . . . . .  not only in Sri Lanka where harmony has previously reigned albeit briefly, but also world wide.

Hindhu Shrine, Polonnaruwa

                                                       May All Beings Be Happy 

                                                                          and 

                                            "May you prosper like milk boiling over" - 

                                     in memory of my loving Mother In Law, Rammenike