Dambulla and Sigiriya - Must See in Sri Lanka
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Island Nation's Cultural Triangle
Aug 21, 2008
Off the southern coast of India lies the island nation of Sri Lanka, home to a 2500 year old civilization.
In the sparsely populated north-central plains--aptly termed the nation’s Cultural Triangle—a remarkable cluster of UNESCO World Heritage sites offers a glimpse of what life was like in what was one of the world's first great Buddhist kingdoms.
While Europe was still in the Dark Ages, the Sri Lankan kings who ruled this land created innovative irrigation systems that made the landscape bloom — and then beautified it with magnificent royal palaces and places of worship whose ruins still bear testimony to this golden era.
Modern visitors come to this region to watch international cricket matches at the Ranagiri Cricket stadium at Dambulla, where Sri Lanka's national cricket team takes on visiting "enemies" from India, Pakistan, England and Australia . It is a beautiful stadium, surrounded by attractive natural scenery - but a few kilometres from where the warriors of the 21st century battle it out on the sports field lie the ancient battlegrounds and the archeological sites that mark the glory and grandeur of the ancient kngdoms .
One of the highlights of a visit here is about 25 kilometres from the Dambulla stadium: Sigiriya the fifth century rock fortress built over fifteen hundred years ago by King Kasyapa. Having usurped the throne in 477 AD and condemned his father to death, Kasyapa lived in constant fear of his avenging brother — and so built himself a fortified palace (some might call it a fifth century penthouse) atop the massive Sigiriya Rock.
The ruins of his palace at the summit of the massive rock is reached by a path that takes you past moats, pleasure gardens and fountains as well as walls (actually the plaster covered face of the rock) on which are found some of the most beautiful and best preserved fresco paintings in Sri Lanka. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, Sigiriya is a must-see for any visitor to this island.
Even closer to the stadium is the ancient rock temple of Dambulla, another of Sri Lanka's World Heritage Sites. This “temple” actually consists of five rock caves. Three of these caves date back to the first century BC, two others having been added in the late 18th and early 20th centuries. The original temple was constructed by King Valagamba, who, having lost his kingdom to invaders from South India, took refuge in these caves for 15 years.
On regaining his throne, Valagamba established a Buddhist temple here, covering the cave walls and ceilings with paintings from the scriptures and filling the caves with innumerable statues of the Buddha — some carved in granite, others made of bricks and mortar and yet others of wood coated with plaster. Unlike India's man-made cave temples of Ajanta and Ellora, these are natural caves which colourful wall paintings and votive statues have converted into places of contemplation and worship.
Close to Dambulla and Sigiriya are two other ancient capitals and UNESCO World Heritage sites, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruva. The former was Sri Lanka’s first capital, being established around 500 BC, and has some unique places of Buddhist worship. Polonnaruva was Sri Lanka’s capital from the 11th to the 14th centuries, and still boasts some of the world’s most impressive Buddhist stupas. One, the Gal Vihara, has four large statues carved from the rock face.
Visitors here cannot help but stand in awe of the sculptors who created these lifelike images, admiring in particular the statue of the Buddha’s disciple Ananda, a look of abject sadness on his face as he stands vigil over the dying Buddha.
Another stupa, Jetavanaramaya, rivals in size the largest of the Egyptian pyramids. Recently restored under the UNESCO Cultural Triangle project, it bears silent testimony to the civilisation that flourished in this island while Europe was still in the Dark Ages.
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