Jampot for Jess: Cultural Triangle Tour

April 14^th was the Singhala and Tamil New Year. Happy New Year everyone!!! Sorry this is a little late!

I was busy traveling throughout the month of April and just returned to Matara last week to teach. I saw some pretty remarkable cities and sites during our travels.

Our first stop in the Cultural Triangle, were the Dambulla cave temples. After hiking up the rock face for thirty minutes in the sweltering heat, we reached the five ancient caves. Each showcases beautiful Buddhist artwork; the cave walls and ceilings are covered in Buddhist paintings and there are multiple Buddhist statues in each. The caves date back to 103 BC.

A few days later, we set off for the main attractions of the Cultural Triangle; Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, and Anuradhapura. The three ancient cities each have their own unique feel and it is easy to imagine them bustling with people thousands of years ago.

Sigiriya was my favorite of the three, perhaps because its history is the most scandalous. King Kasyapa lived in Sigiriya during the 5^th century. After betraying his family by killing his father and leaving his brother with nothing, he made Sigiriya Sri Lanka’s capital and built his palace at the top of a 200m rock. The rock overlooks what used to be glorious flower gardens and large pools for swimming. It is said that he had 500 concubines living on the premises who swam naked in his many pools. I like to think of it as the Playboy mansion of ancient times. Seriously, Hugh Heffner should be taking notes.

From his palace at the top of the rock, you can see for miles. Perhaps he was distracted by the naked women dancing in front of his large throne on what has been titled “the dance floor”, because he was not prepared for Mogollana’s (his brother) attack on his rock fortress. He bravely descended down the rock face and mounted an elephant to lead his army. However, when he discovered that he was greatly outnumbered, he killed himself. Wow.

We had a great time hearing all about the rock’s history and who has inhabited it throughout the years. Finally, we climbed the last of the 1,202 steps and sat atop the fortress looking out at the beautiful Sri Lankan countryside.

Next, we visited Polonnaruwa, the city that served as Sri Lanka’s capital throughout the reign of four kings, beginning with King Aggabodhi IV in 667 AD. Amidst many decaying castles, we saw ancient religious statues and buildings where people have come to pray for thousands of years.

Lastly, we went to Anuradhapura, the city most well known for being a long standing capital of Sri Lanka and also for it’s huge dagobas. Additionally, the oldest historically authenticated tree in the world, the Sri Maha Bodhi, stands here. It welcomes monks, worshippers, and mere tourists like me under its outspread arms. The tree was beautiful, the leaves were changing colors as if it were fall in this one sacred spot. I have not seen other trees’ leaves changing anywhere else in Sri Lanka for months. Additionally, we saw the oldest dagoba in the country, the first temple where the famous tooth relic was held, and what is considered to be the most delicately carved moonstone in the country.

The most memorable thing about my time in the cultural triangle was the feeling I had being there. Being surrounded by statues and buildings that have stood for centuries made me realize how young America is. It is a special feeling to live in a country with such an ancient history. Many traditions practiced here have been practiced by Sri Lankans for hundreds of years. Visiting the sacred sites and eating traditional foods along the way gave me a deeper feeling of connection to the country and culture. People have been visiting the same sites, climbing the same rocks, praying to the same Buddha’s, just as I have done, for centuries. We are all connected. And we all have a lot more in common than it seems.