A Gem in the Ocean

Lion's Paw Terrace, Sigiriya.

We were ecstatic. Just the mention of Bangladesh had the ticket officer slash our entry fee by half. How awesome is it to belong to a SAARC country and gain discounted admission to one of UNESCO's listed World Heritage Sites?

We were at the foot of Sigiriya, an ancient palace near Dambulla in Sri Lanka. Remains of a palace and administrative center built by King Kassapa (473-491AD), son of King Dhatusena by a non-royal consort, lay sprawled atop a 660 feet high chunk of rock. Climbing this precipice proved to be more difficult than we expected. Flights of stairs weaved their way through a generously spread out Water Garden, Boulder Garden and Terraced Garden. A precarious climb up a column of stairs led to a cave with frescoes of women believed to be apsaras resembling the king's wives and concubines. We made it up to the Lion's Gate, half way to the apex.  

Our enthusiasm from early morning had worn thin. The drive from Bandaranaike International Airport to Kassapa Lion's Rock Resort the previous day took approximately four hours. The overnight stay at the beautiful resort was refreshing indeed but we had to start early for Sigiriya for the long climb. Moreover, the climb till the Lion's Gate challenged us up rickety stairs with howling wind threatening to blow us off. How six year old Chinese kids raced each other in between the legs of tall Asians and even taller Europeans was a mystery to an acrophobic myself. Moreover our guide wisely informed us of a wasp attack incident the day before. Swarms flew out from the several dozen hives that hung innocently from trees near the Sigiriya Rock and attacked tourists tackling the stairs hugging the steep slope. We decided not to proceed but spend a good hour catching our breath and gawking up at the colossal rock that served as the kingdom amidst clouds of god-king Kassapa. He created this illusion of paradise for himself after shifting his capital away from Anuradhapura after usurping his father.

Temple of the Tooth Relic, Kandy.

Once well rested, we made our way back down the stairways and back to our car. Next destination was Kandy, the second largest city after Colombo and home to the Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa). Buddha's left canine tooth was collected from his funeral pyre in 543BC and given to King Brahmadatte who kept it in his kingdom (present day Orissa). The tooth became an object of political scrutiny, further fanned by the strong belief that whoever possessed the tooth had divine rights to rule the land. After changing many hands, the tooth was smuggled into Sri Lanka by Princess Hemamali and her husband Prince Dantha, who handed over the relic to King Kirthi Sri Meghavarna. He enshrined it at Anuradhapura. The relic changed custodianship a number of times in the next few centuries and even bear testament to the Portuguese invasion of Kandy in the 17th century. Currently housed at a temple in Kandy, the tooth is opened for public viewing only at certain times of the day.
Exiting the temple, we made a pit stop at a local eatery and requested short eats. The waiter presented us with a platter of savories and we munched on samosas and sipped rich milky tea while figuring out our next step.
We settled for gemstone shopping. After all, yet another name for the Pearl of the Indian Ocean is Ratna-dwip (Gem Island). Our guide took us to a flashy outlet named Handuni's Gem and Jewelry, where we were overwhelmed by a magnificent collection of glittering precious and semi-precious stones. Later on, we made a quick trip to Laksala as well, the government-owned gift and souvenir shop. Although the authenticity of the gems here was a sure shot the variety of jewelries was dismal compared to its privately-owned counterpart!
The following day, we made our way out of the Shady Grove lodging facilities where we halted at in Kandy and settled down for a couple of hours' drive to Nuwara Eliya. We feasted our eyes yet again on the numerous waterfalls dotting the roadsides, often hopping out of the car to take a picture or two. The hairpin turns were sharp enough to instigate nausea and we made a few more necessary stops to save the car from semi-digested breakfast!

Waterfall viewed from roadside en route Nuwara Eliya.

As we approached Nuwara Eliya, we felt the elevation before our guide mentioned anything. Our ears popped and the temperature dropped several degrees. Hills enveloped in neatly pruned tea bushes boasted placards declaring 'Mackwoods Labookellie'. Winding roads continued running parallel with tea gardens and eventually our guide pulled over at the Glenloch Tea Factory. We let ourselves be escorted by the tea guide who explained in detail the tea processing exercise. The sheer variety of tea produced by the nation left us gaping. The tea bud itself is processed to produce three different types of tea, the golden tips being the most premium! We helped ourselves to brownies and complimentary tea while strolling through the tea store with a flock of European, Middle Eastern and North Asian tourists.

Mist-enshrouded town, Nuwara Eliya.

Coined as Serendib by Arab traders who settled in the island between 8th and 15th centuries, Sri Lanka's popularity as a tourist destination amongst Middle-easterners even today is quite obvious. Add to that the Sri Lankan government's recent push to increase Saudi tourist visits from 19,500 to 40,000 in the next three years1. Currently, over a million tourists arrive at this island every year.

Satiated after seeing a tea factory at one of the world's best tea producing nations, we resumed our journey. If you want an uninterrupted view of mist-enshrouded mountains through ceiling-to-floor windows at every waking moment, you must check in at the Midky Hotel, which is where we arrived. The window overlooked a neat little lawn with a coffee table. Right below this lush patch of greenery was a winding road leading all the way to the city center and beyond. Beyond the tarmac stood mysterious dark mountains sporadically enveloped by the unpredictable misty white clouds. The view was surreal.

To be continued…
Source: 1 http://www.arabnews.com/news/464245