Muhudu Maha Viharaya, Arugum Bay, Pottuvil

Sri Lanka has an incredible number of ancient sites to fire one's imagination, even in this formerly tsunami ravaged coast. This morning we visited a place small in size but huge in history, right on the beach that was severely damaged by the sea in December 2004. In fact, we found that the dunes are creeping up, burying the brick ruins under a thick bed of white sand.

Muhudu Maha Viharaya, Pottuvil

As legend has it Muhudu Maha Viharaya is near where, 2000 years ago, the hero daughter of King of Kelaniya in the south was washed ashore with her entourage after she had volunteered herself as a sacrifice to the gods who needed to be appeased for her father's ill deed. He had had a Buddhist monk who displeased him boiled alive in oil. This cruel act angered  the gods so much that they sent huge waves that rushed in and flooded the country. When the sages said that this could be stopped if a princess was sacrificed to the sea the King's daughter, Princess Devi is said to have offered herself as an appeasement to the gods and thereby to save her father and to ensure the safety of the country.

She and her entourage were put in a suitably equipped and decorated boat and cast out to sea. The sea immediately became calm and flood waters quickly receded. The King found himself still the centre of anger, this time from his Queen and citizens who were very angry at the loss of their favourite Princess.

Viharamaha Devi, Arugum Bay

Of course there is a happy ending for the Princess Devi! She and her entourage were finally washed ashore here near Arugum Bay. Not only that, she had the good fortune to land in a wealthy and prosperous kingdom ruled by King Kavantissa. He is said to have been so excited to hear this, from a fisherman who rushed off the beach to alert him to this surprising news, that he had her brought before him in a great procession. When he heard her story and learned of her bravery and loyalty to her father and her country, he decided that these qualities would be an asset for himself and his kingdom and married her. From that time onwards she was named Viharamaha Devi.

Viharamaha Devi, herself a heroine, became the mother of two heroic sons. Dutugemmunu became King of Lanka, fighting off King Elara and building the dagaba at Anuradhapura. He reigned from 161 BC to 137 BC and was succeeded by his brother Saddhatissa after he had disowned his son who, believing him to be a coward rather than a negotiator for peace, sent him women's jewellery.

Muhudu Maha Viharaya, Pottuvil

The temple, partially buried in sand, has a three metre Buddha statue faced by two smaller ones. Legend has it that the smaller ones are the King Kavantissa and Vihara Maha Devi although archeological evidence suggests that it was built in the fifth century AD. Academics believe that the two smaller statues are Bodhisattvas - compassionate enlightened beings who forsake nirvana to remain humans and help others in their human lives.

Muhudu Maha Viharaya, Arugum Bay

Buddha Statue, Muhudu Maha Viharaya, Arugum Bay, Pottuvil

Muhudu Maha Viharaya, Pottuvil

Muhudu Maha Viharaya, Arugum Bay, Pottuvil

A King or a Bodhisvatta, it's a story of courage, good luck and power. 
Great, inspirational stories are plentiful in Lanka!

Arugum Bay, Sri Lanka

After leaving Ella at 8am we followed the hill hugging windy road we had seen from the top of Little Adam's Peak and in a surprisingly short time we were down on flat land in a dry zone. Our route took us through Buttala however we did not stop until we arrived at busy Monaragala.

Monaragala is an important town for those tourists who choose to travel by bus as you can take one  from the South coast - Kataragama, Tissamaharama and Hambantota - and then change here to go to Arugum Bay nd further north up the East Coast. If travelling to Ella and then on to Kandy and the Cultural Triangle the change can often be made at Buttala.

For us, Monaragala was our morning tea stop at the Victory Inn. It was an attractive town, the green hills adding interest to the landscape, clean and quite prosperous looking.

Arugum Bay

Then it was onwards to Pottuvil and across the bridge to Arugum Bay. Arugum Bay is a popular tourist destination with a focus on surfing and is therefore geared to people younger than ourselves, especially when it comes to accommodation which is predominantly back packer Sri Lankan style, guesthouses.

Arrival at Tsunami Hotel, Arugum Bay

The process of booking accommodation and getting what you think you have booked has always been problematic in Sri Lanka and our experience on this trip has me thinking the situation is even worse than previously. Knowing the difficulties for foreign tourists, I had asked Lucky to book accommodation for this tour for us. I learned that he, too, has the same problems of agreements not being honoured and tricks being played out to extract more money from the unlucky tourist. I had researched all the accommodation available, noting reviews of places that were constantly reported as seriously unclean, things added to the bill and upcharging above the agreed tariff on checkout. Lucky and I finally agreed that Tsunami Hotel seemed to be the best we could do and he booked two double rooms, each with air con, hot water and breakfast daily with his accommodation and food included.

Tsunami Hotel, Arugum Bay

The setting, right on the beach, looked idyillic. As long as there wasn't another tsunami! The hotel, a guest house really, was actually named prior to the 2004 tsunami and was partially destroyed at that time. It now comprises of double chalets around a central garden area. The nearness of the sea, hammocks in the trees invite indolence and inactivity - a holiday!

Double chalet, Tsunami Hotel, Arugum Bay

The trouble was, we were informed that there was only one room with air con. Sue said that as long as she had a fan and mossie net she was happy so she was escorted to her room while we started to unpack a couple of immediate items in our air con room. No hot water though, I noted. Lucky then came over and told us that the Manager had raised the charge for our air con by RS3000 per night and that there was no accommodation for him although he could go to another place which was also owned by the Tsunami owner.  Although this type of thing happens almost always in Sri Lanka and I am used to it, I was seriously annoyed. We moved to a non air con room to find that the bed was built out of concrete and, although it was a double, it had only a narrow single size thin foam pad for a mattress. After a protracted discussion a wider, thin foam pad eventually arrived. Much later still a second one to add to the thickness came, along with comments about how difficult to please I was.

Double room, Tsunami Hotel, Arugum Bay

Photos of tsunami damage, 2004

Fortunately we were able to deal with the breakfast omelette with humour! Below, Sue is holding her one egg breakfast omelette which she ordered for interest sake after being denied the usual omelette with onions, mushrooms, chillies and so on. This was not available at breakfast as it was only on the lunch menu. Breakfast omelette was one egg, beaten and fried and named omelette. [Not even extra money would get you two eggs.] 

After the scam with the rooms there was no way we were going to eat lunch at the Tsunami so we went off down the road to satisfy our growing hunger.

Mani road, Arugum Bay

 As it was the very end of the surfing season many business were already closed for the season and others in the process of doing so. We found a small shop, just three tables outside in the sand and one man making rotti at the front.

Roti shop, Arugum Bay

Toes in the sand, cold drinks in our hands, we waited happily for our rottis to be ready.

Making rotti, Arugum Bay

Our rotti arrived at our table accompanied by dhal [ lentil] curry and coconut sambal. Sue's vegetable and cheese rotti was so nice that we came again the next day. Bananas made a great dessert too.

pink bananas

Arugum Bay had a strangeness about it and it was some time before I realised that what was bothering me was the sameness and newness of the houses. Many had solar hot water and were connected to electricity. They did not look at all like the usual Sri Lankan village houses and the roads were all new, quite wide and often straight with none of the big holes and bends as they avoided dwellings built practically on the road itself. All that was washed away that fateful morning in 2004.

Post tsunami houses, Arugum Bay

Apart from the tourist season, fishing is the prime source of work in this area. Boats donated by Rotary Belguim were pulled up here and there on one stretch of the beach.

Fishing boat, Arugum Bay

Sue was an early riser and she would sit on her patio watching the slow procession of boats returning to shore after a night out on the ocean.

Fishing boats, Arugum Bay

Most tourists come to Arugum Bay for surfing yet I did not see any really good surf while we were there.

Beach cricket, Arugum Bay

During the mornings we explored the ancient ruins in the area.  Afternoons were for snoozing, reading and writing and a walk along the beach at dusk followed by a cool pre dinner drink at beach side candle lit tables.

Diving into a boiling surf

At first the sound of the sea was quite spooky, with a suspense laden silence followed by a rising angry growl, then back to silence, then growl, silence, growl until its rhythm dropped us into sleep.