Road trip through Sri Lanka to explore the ancient sites
ANTONIA FILMER
Sri Lanka is a glorious country, the landscape is in every way picturesque. The Ramayana is inherent in Sri Lankan culture, this history goes back to 10 January 5114BCE with the birth of Rama; there are 49 textual references to the Ramayana in the Mahavamsa Chronicle. An effort has been made to make the Ramayana sites available to tourists and pilgrims, there are a several tour operators offering organised or bespoke Ramayana tours, and around important 40 sites in all.
Driving through the coconut palm triangle we stopped at Café Amakie where the baristas make a fine selection of cups of coffee with the most beautiful chocolate powder decorations on top. We are on our way to Sanjeevini Mountain, there is no actual highway but the roads are good.
The hiking trail up Sanjeevini, the source of Hanuman’s rescue remedy for the wounded Lakshmana, has been cleared and it is not a strenuous climb up the ancient steps to as far as you can go, which is about 400 metres altitude, beyond this the land is protected because of the famous medicinal herbs that grow here. Later we stopped at Ramboda Hanuman Khovil, the temple at the Chinmaya Mission, this is where Hanuman landed in Sri Lanka; now thanks to Swami Chinmayananda it is the home of Vedanta knowledge and philosophy in Sri Lanka. A beautifully landscaped centre of worship and learning with rooms available for study and retreat.
Eventually we reached Kandy, the capital of Sri Lankan Kings and home to the Buddhist Temple of the Sacred Tooth, Sri Lankan Buddhists believe this is the most venerated place is the world after Mecca. In town we enjoyed a delicious South Indian dosa at the vegetarian restaurant Balaji Dosai, which was absolutely jam packed and is indisputably the best restaurant in the area, the charming owner waits on tables himself. It was from a vantage point in Kandy that we got our first overview of British town planning, a tiered city built around a manmade lake. Next,we began the long ascent up to Nuwara Eliya; a curvaceous road clinging to the mountain side provides dramatic views of the terraced tea plantations and the valleys below, originally tea was a British idea and now at 15% of GDP,AN indispensable contributor to Sri Lankan economy. Between the rows of tea bushes are planted saplings of Gliricidia Septum of the Fabacea family, this symbiotic fertiliser provides the necessary nitrogen into the soil. Every scrap of land is cultivated and beautifully tended, in perfect climate conditions a tea harvest can be taken every six weeks.
Nuwara Eliya is a delightful mountain resort, and apparently with strict building and development regulations to preserve the integrity of its colonial architectural character. The lakes are teeming with jet skis, canoes, motorboats and swan shaped pedalos for courting couples. The climate is so refreshing it makes Nuwara Eliya a favourite weekend destination for Colombo’s elite.the highlight of the trip was a leisurely stroll around the grounds of Ashok Vatika, Ashoka Mal Uyanain Singhalese and renamed by the British as Hakgala Botanical Gardens. Rather than stay in Ravana’s palace it was in nature that Sita chose to be held captive and here that Hanuman found her. The front of the garden is planted with an abundance of sub-tropical species, but its wooded hinterland is where the beauty lies. During our meanderings we met soldiers from the Sri Lankan Army performing their garden maintenance duties and noted pretty government bungalows with verandas available for rent, booking must be almost a year in advance as these are not surprisingly popular for holiday sojourns.
All the wonderful cultural and spiritual heritage was greatly enhanced by the knowledge and information shared by Nuwan Gajanayaka, a very accomplished guide.