11 April 2013

Got up at 5:30 this morning to have a wonder around the vast grounds here in Chaaya Lodge. In the morning it is peaceful and tranquil.

There are water lilies growing in the middle of the manmade lake. The water is very still. There are various water birds about.

It is also the time of the morning when the monkeys are active, swinging from tree to tree and having some breakfast. There are sort of beige coloured and furry with a black face.

At about 6:30am, the sun had come up and shining rays were breaking through the foilage.

We had breakfast, packed our bags and hit the road. We were heading for Mihintale. The road to Mihintale is littered to various ancient archeological sites.

Mihintale is know as the place where Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka in 247 BC. Mahinda, the son of Ashoka, the Buddhist king of India was sent to Sri Lanka to spread Buddhism. At the entrance is The Kantake Chetiya dagoba. It originally stood above 30m.

Proceeding towards a flight of steps that lead to the upper terrace, you come across the Conversation Hall. Then we went up a flight of 1850 steps to the upper level.

At this level stands the somewhat smaller Ambasthala dagoba.

I decided to further climb a bare rock outcrop callled Aradhana Gala (Invitation Rock) where Mahinda preached his first sermon. I wanted to get a good view of the area around this place. It was truly breathtaking.

From here you got a good view of the Mahaseya dagoba which can be seen for miles around. It is reputed to contain some ashes and a single hair of the Buddha.

After visiting Mihintale we started making our way to Jaffna. In Jaffna we had a short rest before embarking on a trip to Point Pedro which is at the extreme North-East of the island. We went to a well at Nilavarai. In Hindu mythology, Ravana needed water for his troops. He drew an arrow and shot it into the ground to create the well. No one knows how deep the well is. It is reputed to be connected to Keerimalai Springs that we visited earlier by some underground channel.

We made a trip through a coastal town called Velvettiturai. It is infamous for being the birthplace of Velupillai Prabhakaran, founder and leader of the Tamil Tigers. His birth home had been demolished by the army. All that remains is an empty block of land.

We watched the sunset at Point Pedro before heading back to Jaffna, which is about 32kms from here.