Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle holds a multitude of hidden treasures tucked away deep in the dry zone jungle. Although less overwhelming in their sheer size, each site unveils more secrets in the story of Sri Lanka’s illustrious civilisation. The number of architectural varieties of the ruins is quite staggering, a reflection of the dynamic societies of the time.
The first major stop for visitors heading North from Kandy is Aluvihara in Matale. History was created at Aluvihara, nearly 2,000 years ago. In the precincts is what is today an unpretentious rock temple tucked into a hollow cleft of the central mountain-massif. It was there, nearly five centuries after the Parinibbana or Passing Away of the Buddha that his Dhamma was first written down. The text was rehearsed and commentaries revised and distributed. Bhikkhus gathered at Aluvihara to set down in writing the Tripitaka or Buddhist Scriptural Canon.
The Nalanda Gedige shrine
Since then, Aluvihara has been one of the foremost places of pilgrimage in Lanka. Century after century its shrines and buildings were renovated; lands were gifted by the kings for its upkeep. Villagers in the part of Matale considered it their privilege to minister to the bhikkhus and savants who visited and resided there, working for years in its famous library of precious ola leaf manuscripts, copying and re-copying the text.
Aluvihara
Aluvihara is about 41/2 kilometres North of the town of Matale in the central hills. To the discerning travellers, there is something mystic in its setting. Under two heavy, beetling cliffs of granite are the little, narrow, hermits’ cells hewn so many centuries ago. Above the cells the rock rises imposingly. It is starkly grey within the rich jungle foliage on the surrounding hill sides and faces the almost unexplored Knuckles Range.
The second stop for our group of visitors is the 8th century Nalanda Gedige, overlooking the Mahaweli Ganga and one of the most unusual sites in the Cultural Triangle. The ruins at Nalanda are a small stupa and the ‘Gedige’ shrine, which, according to chronicle Mahavamsa, is a structure made entirely of brick. Its design is unique as the only building constructed in the style of the Pallava architecture of Mahabalipuram from Southern India, although it would not look out of place in the Mayan temples of Mexico. Despite the obvious Hindu influence in its layout, there is no evidence to indicate it was used as a place of worship by anyone but Buddhists.
Coming from Kandy on the same road, the A-9 highway, our third stop was the great rock cave temple of Dambulla, which lies concealed at the top of a hill with distance views over the surrounding countryside. A troupe of monkeys seemed to enjoy the scenery and happily posed for photos, although if you attempt to eat a snack in front of them, you may get more attention than you bargained for. Turn your attention instead to the temple in the caves, the first of which was created some 2,000 years ago by the King Wattagamini Abhaya.
The fortress palace of Sigiriya
Successive kings added to the complex over the years, and today, there are five principal caves and a host of smaller ones, all containing images of the Buddha – including a colossal recumbent Buddha – carved into the rock face. The cave walls and ceilings are decorated with frescoes in vivid colours belonging to the Kandyan style, showing scenes from the life of the Buddha.
Not far from Dambulla, 200 metres in height, the monolithic rock rises out of the surrounding jungle. The whole rock is surrounded by a moat and ramparts, and series of steps and stairways leads up to the summit, on which is perched the ruins of the fortress palace of Sigiriya.
The first part of the ascent is easily made by a series of metal staircases, which enables visitors to admire rock paintings halfway up the cliff face. The only historical secular paintings to have survived in the country, dating from the fifth century, they depict beautiful women in colourful jewellery and clothing holding offerings of lotus flowers and platters of food. On the adjacent rock face, there is some thousand-year-old graffiti which records the admiration of various visitors for the painted ladies’ beauty.
Further up, the steps lead to a large platform containing the remains of a Lion Gate from which the site derives its name; ‘Sinha giriya’ means Mountain of the Lion. At one time, the stairway to the summit led up through the lion’s open mouth, but all that remains now are the huge paws of the animal.
Summit
One of the stone pavements at the Ritigala hermitage
On the summit, too, only the foundations of the palace remain, including a huge pool carved out of the solid rock, probably used for water storage.
Arguably the greatest example of Buddhist sculpture can be seen at the Aukana Buddha statue, 18 kilometres North of Dambulla. The 13-metre-high giant, carved out of a single piece of rock, is the best-preserved ancient statue in Sri Lanka, although its exact date is debatable.
For many years, it was attributed to the reign of the fifth century King Dhatusena, who built the Kalawewa Tank nearby, but the style of carving indicates it concurs with later architectural trends. What is most remarkable is the delicacy of the facial contours depicting serenity, with a halo representing enlightenment.
Forest hermitage
For adventurous, a must-see is the forest hermitage of Ritigala. Lying North of Habarana, it is seldom visited and home to some of the country’s most distinctive ruins.
Discovered only 120 years ago by British Surveyor James Martell, the exact etymology of the name is still unclear, but the most commonly-espoused theory is ‘safety rock’ – ‘gala’ is rock, while ‘riti’ thought to come from the Pali ‘aritiha’ (safety). The mountain is referred to repeatedly in the Mahavamsa as a refuge for a long list of royal fugitives. It is also mentioned as the ancient mountain of Aristha in the Ramayana text, from where the warrior monkey-God Hanuman leapt to India to pass on the news to Lord Rama that his wife Sita had been captured by Ravana, the Lankan demon king.
Legend tells of Hanuman returning to the mountain to deliver herbs to save the life of Rama’s brother who was wounded in battle, which is supposed to account for the unique plant species found on its plateau.
The Aukana Buddha statue
From the 3rd century until its abandonment 700 years later after the overthrow of Anuradhapura, Ritigala was home to a long line of hermetic dwellers.
The most famous residents were the ascetic Pansakulika bhikkhus – who took a vow to wear only robes made from the rags of corpses.
It is believed this group practised rules strictly vis-à-vis the comfortable life of their brethren in Anuradhapura to revive the austere life led by the Buddha. Their dedication was greatly admired, and it was King Sena I who commissioned the building of the hermitage of which the remains can be seen today.
Like Arankele, Ritigala is littered with straight stone pavements and double platforms, the latter believed to be a primitive form of air-conditioning for congregational meditation practice. After passing the ruins of a small hospital with stone beds and oil baths, we reached an intricately carved urinal stone, displaying the only example of iconographic imagery in the whole of Ritigala.
We were also on a three-hour trek up to the summit of the mysterious, mist-clad mountain rising 800 metres from the plain.
Although the ancient cities of the Cultural Triangle: Kandy, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa are unmissable, it is worth getting off the beaten track to a few less-known sites once in a while. While they lack the complexity of their close neighbours, they certainly make your visit worthwhile.
