Our second day in Sri Lanka, and it couldn’t have been more different from the first. Yesterday we were in one of the country’s most sparsely populated areas, viewing wildlife in one of the world’s top national parks. Today we docked in the capital, Colombo, which more than five million people call home, and took a bus tour of the city highlights.
Even though we’ve left East and Southeast Asia behind and are now on the tip of the Indian subcontinent, Colombo reminds me a bit of what we saw in places like Saigon, with tuk tuks everywhere and motorbikes weaving daringly through the heavy traffic. It’s also overwhelmingly Buddhist, which explains our first stop of the day. Gangaramaya Temple is one of the oldest and most important Buddhist temples in Colombo, and has become much more than a place of worship. In some ways the temple itself has become dwarfed by its surroundings, as it also houses a tremendous amount of historical material and memorabilia.
As has been the case in several temples we’ve visited, we were required to remove our shoes to enter, and we spent a full hour exploring the temple and displays. I should add that in addition to removing shoes, knees and shoulders were required to be covered, and those in our group who hadn’t heeded the notice in the tour description had to borrow shawl or skirt-like wraps to cover up before entering. Fortunately for them, the temple makes them readily available at no charge. Michele and I have become pros at visiting these temples, so we came dressed appropriately. There was one other caution—photos were permitted, but no selfies, because turning one’s back to Buddha was prohibited.
Like so many Buddhist temples, Gangaramaya was full of fascinating and beautiful statues and artwork, and the artifacts gave the area around the central shrine a museum feel. The complex also is home to a giant fig tree, which the resident Buddhists believe to be a sacred Bodhi tree. Buddha himself is said to have reached enlightenment (Bodhi) under a fig tree, and a number of temples around the world have fig trees that are believed to be direct descendants of the original tree. These figs were claimed to be started as cuttings from the original tree, and are thus also considered sacred. Whether this tree is actually descended from the original Bodhi tree may be an open question, but I can attest that it is enormous and obviously very old.
Our hour passed quickly, and before we knew it we were back on the bus and headed to our next destination, the Colombo National Museum. The Museum dates back to 1877, and was started by the British, who were the colonial occupiers at the time. It houses a lot of artifacts from the time when the country still had kings, and some of the regalia was quite interesting. The last independent king of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) was King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, who ruled from a mountainous area known as Kandy, until the British deposed and exiled him in 1815. We spent an hour here too, and I took a lot of photos, far too many to be able to share them all in this blog.
We had one more stop to make, and it was also interesting in a very different way. The Galle Face Hotel is one of the oldest hotels east of the Suez Canal, and first opened in 1864. It exudes colonial elegance, and is listed as one of the 1000 Places To See Before You Die in the book of the same name. Our visit was a delight, as we were led into a large dining room, seated at formally set tables, and served tea, coffee and scrumptious snacks. I’d love to see a list, if one exists, of all the dignitaries and celebrities who have been similarly served at this grand old seaside hotel.
With that it was back to the ship, where, after some souvenir shopping on the pier, it was time to start packing for our three day, two night trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. We dock tomorrow in Cochin, India, from where we fly to Delhi and then bus the rest of the way to Agra, where the Taj is located. After two nights in Agra we reverse the process, busing to Delhi and flying to Goa, where we’ll catch up with the ship. It’s going to be amazing, and I can’t wait, but just a heads up that I may not have internet access while we’re in India, so it may be a few days before I can report back on the trip. Wish me safe travels, and I’ll be back soon.
Typical street scene in Colombo. Tuk tuks are everywhere.
Shot this from the bus window. A lot of side streets in Colombo look like this.
We passed the old parliament building on our way to the temple.
Outside the temple. Note the bins for worshippers and visitors to leave their shoes.
Part of the temple from across the street.
Shrine holding a special relic. I wasn’t clear on what the relic is.
Many things like this all through the complex.
One of the many Buddhas in the temple.
Monks taking a break.
One of the main features of the temple. Very impressive.
No two are the same. For some reason I really liked this one.
Talk about colorful. This room was gorgeous.
More of this spectacular room.
Part of the large temple courtyard.
Michele touching the sacred Bodhi tree.
Heading back inside. This one intrigued me.
Like I said, no two the same. I’d love to know the meaning of this one.
This one I know, or at least think I do. Siva, or Shiva, is a powerful Hindu god who is the destroyer of evil. All faiths were welcome to visit the Buddhist temple, and this wasn’t the only Siva I saw.
On the way to the museum we passed City Hall. Pretty impressive for a city administration building.
If I heard our guide correctly, this is the building where the last king ceded control of the island to the British. I need to research this one.
At the museum. This regalia was worn by the king’s top advisor, who would have been the equivalent of his prime minister.
The king’s throne and crown, returned to Sri Lanka by the British after the country gained its independence.
The king and queen. Hopefully a caricature.
Display of traditional Sri Lanka costumed dance.
The elegant old Galle Face Hotel sits on the Indian Ocean waterfront.
Michele said the tea was excellent.
I couldn’t identify the flavor, though it was delicious. I learned later that it was current juice. The food was really good too.
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