A Buddhist Kerala
Take a chunk of the hilly regions in Kerla like Kottayam or Munnar; remove the hindu temples and put budhist Viharas in their place and voila you have Srilanka. A Buddhist Kerala is Srilanka. The same greenery; coconut and banana trees; rubber plantations; elephants; small rivulets and brooks gurgling on their way to the sea! The water from the King Coconut is sweet like nectar and is a must-drink for every visitor to this emerald isle atleast twice on every day of the visit!
Daytime is pretty warm even on the hills. The even
ings bring sudden bursts of rain and a mild cold that makes the weather pleasant. From the high eyrie of the balcony in Randholee Resort, Kandy we could see a large part of the city of Kandy. As the twilight and mist make it darker the lights of the twinkle down below like the gems and jewels for which the island of Taprobane (another name for Srilanka) is world renowned since ancient times.
The same view offers a different tapestry in the early morning as I walk out on to the Balcony after a refreshing sleep. As the mists swirl below around the domes of the Buddhist temples and the red tiled colonial houses the new day is ushered in by the sun as it licks awayu thew mist with its glorious rays. The distant mountains are surrounded by clouds and only the high summits and peaks are visible. (The Sri Lankan name of Kandy is Kanda Uda Rata which mens the Hill Country.)
One of the important places to be seen is UNESCO Heritage sight of the Temple of the Tooth Relic. The shrine contains the tooth of the Buddha as a relic. Buddhists do not worship any image. Nor do they make offerings to “God”. The Tooth Relic Shrine is simply a place where devout Buddhists go to experience the presence of The Enlightened one so that they can reinforce themselves in their own search for Parinibban, the supreme goal of every Buddhist.
A Word of Warning!
If you are posing for a photo near the image of the Buddha in Srilanka, please avoid standing in front of the image with your back to it or by the side of the imge. It is better to stand with your profile to the camera with hands folded in prayer. The Srilankans are strict in preventing people from turning their back on the image for a photograph as it is a sign of disrespect.
From the Tooth Relic Temple, a huge Buddha statue can be seen on top of a neaby hill. The image of Buddha in seated posture faces the Temple. This mountain top was the place where the death penalty was actually executed in those days! As the peak was clearly visible from the Kandyan King's palace adjacent to the Tooth Relic Temple, the King could assure himself that his sentence has been carried out by looking at the peak of this mountain where the grisly sight of the hanging corpse could be seen! Thus this was rightly termed the Peak of Death.
Later, with the advent and growth of Buddhism, the death penalty was abolished. The deathly gallows were replaced by the Benign Image of the Buddha in seated position facing the Tooth Relic Temple and reminding monarchs and Governments alike down the ages of the value of forgiveness and forbearance.
Fear not Dear Brother!
The approach to the Tooth Relic Temple is through a pathway set amidst green lawns. On the p[athway and around it are numerous statues of famous personages. While each one has a story to tell, I was impressed by the statuette of a young boy set on a high pedestal.
The boy, Madduma Bandara of Ehelepola was the second son of a revolutionary Sinhalese who had criticized the rule of the then Srilankan King. The father was to be beheaded for his seditionary statements but he ran away. His family was then sentenced to death on 17th May 1814. Madduma’s elder brother was frightened at the thought of death and hesitated when the Eight-year-old yet Lion-Hearted Child Hero Madduma Bandara came forward with supreme courage to face the executioner’s sword first with this exhortation to his elder brother:
“Fear not, Dear Brother, I will show you how to face Death!”
As I said earlier, the Weather is warm during day with intermittent showers in the evening. So we were constantly carrying umbrellas agaist the possibility of rain. We had lubnch at another restaurant with a view. This time we gazed at the panoramic view of the lovely city of Kandy spread out in concentric circles from the Kandy Lake. The lake lies gleaming at the centre with the Tooth Relic Temple on oneside. The circular roads wind up and around the city on the slopes.
Green Demesnes
Later we strolled through the Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya. The Gardens are spread over 147 Acres. The Garden traces its origin way back to 1371 under when it was first established by King Wickramabahu III. Later in the reign of King Kirti Sri from 1747 to 1780 this was made a Royal Garden and from 1780 to 1798, King Rajadhi Rajasinghe resided therein, where a temporary residence was erected for him. The noteworthy feature of the Royal Botanical is the Orchidarium which houses exquisite and beautiful specimens of every colour and hue.
I could not help compare this Garden with the Lal Bagh Gardens in Bangalore. The Lal Bagh is bigger with 240 acres. But it is not as well maintained or luxuriantly green as the Periyadana Gardens. Yet the horticultural attractions have similar background and History. Both Gardens were originally commissioned by Oriental Monarchs for their personal pleasure. The Lal Bagh was begun by the ruler of Mysore, Hyder Ali in 1760 and was completed by Tipu Sultan, his son. Both the Gardens came under British Possesions and were under the care of successive British Superintendents who were successful in converting them into objects of admiration. The Royal Botanical had Mr. Alexander Moon, while the Lal Bagh had Mr. James Cameroon.
In the evening we witnessed a performance of traditional Kandyan Dances. The performance culminated in grand finale when a few of the performers did a fire walk through a blazing fire.
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