#gal vihara

[nevver]

Buddha loves you, Pierre Vauthey (Gal Vihara)

[kkdas]

Gal Vihara by MelindaChan ^..^ Via Flickr: Polonnaruwa SriLanka 斯里蘭卡

[davidaolson]

I am Lord Sangapala I wrote this song We spoke But they did not answer Those ladies of the Mountain They did not give us The twitch of an eye-lid. ~Unknown

Lions Paws

In Kathmandu, I climbed a set of 365 steps to get to the Monkey Temple – a pilgrimage of sorts. I thought that ascent was fairly impressive until I walked up the 1202 steps to crest the massive Lion Rock in Sigiriya, Sri Lanka this morning. Though there was no rain, I was as wet from walking in the high humidity as I was when I climbed my way to the Monkey Temple in the rain. It’s supposed to be the monsoon season here but there is nary a sight of a rain cloud in any direction. Today, I wished there was some rain to cool me off as I walked (and to keep some of the other tourists at bay).

  Lions Rock

Frescoe

The highlight of my ascent was when I saw ancient frescoes that were in great repair and quite beautiful. There is a slight side trip up and down a spiral staircase (caged in as it’s on the sheer side of this giant rock column) to see them and it’s well worth the extra effort. I found them to be quite beautiful. Unlike most frescoes I’ve seen that are faded, chipped away and graffiti strewn, these had some rich color and were mostly intact.

All the frescoes were of women. I wonder, did the ancients not deem the male form worthy of painting? That I can understand because the curvaceous female form is quite a bit more eye catching than the males. Or were the paintings, most which depicted the women topless, an ancient’s version of a nude magazine?

Though the walk was long, it was not a boring trudge up to the top. There were many caves along the way as well as other ancient structures for viewing and exploring.

The final ascent to the top begins at two huge lions paws. Speculation is that there was also a lion body to go with these paws. Once past the paws the remaining ascent requires navigating a steep metal stairway. Quite a few of the steps creaked inducing some adrenaline into the bloodstream.

The top hosts the remains of a royal palace. There are many wall fragments outlining a complex setup including a pool and, if I can believe the old man cleaning up the place, an area that used to be used as a ballroom for dancing. His smile betrayed a hint of mischievousness.

It’s easy to see why this place was chosen for the capital of the king’s empire and to host his palace. It provides a great view of the surrounding jungle and is difficult to ascend providing a good degree of protection in the event of an enemy attack.

  Polonnaruwa (Gal Vihara)

The second place I visited, polonnaruwa, was also at one time the capital of the country. Along with Lion’s Rock, it’s another point of the holy triangle in central Sri Lanka. The third point is the city of Kandy where, it is purported, lies a tooth of the Buddha which was rescued after his cremation.

It would require an entire day to explore this ancient city – under good conditions. I reached Polonnaruwa just after noon in the heat of the day. With clouds few and far between, I felt the heat in all it’s intensity. Many of the sites required the removal of shoes so my feet also felt the heat. I was getting cooked from top and bottom so didn’t spend as much time as I would have liked exploring the history.

The highlight, by far, was the section known as as Gal Vihara. Sri Lanka, being a Buddhist country, one would expect the ancient sites to host a number of Buddha icons. Most were in various states of disrepair. I was told this was due to invasions where the invaders took it upon themselves to deface many of the statues.

Sadly, this barbaric behaviour is not limited to Sri Lanka. In many of the ancient places I visited, I heard the same sad stories. The conquerors come in and destroy the religious artifacts because it blaspheme’s their own god. Or, the destruction is wrought to demoralize the defeated. Either way, I find this to be one serious outrage and a crime not only to the originators but also to posterity.

To my thinking, it’s borne by people who have shaky beliefs. If someone really believes in their own religious system, they would not need to ‘prove’ their devoutness by destroying the iconic art of others. The destructive act is a sign of weak faith.

Reclining Buddha

Gal Vihara hosts four Buddha icons carved from a single, massive rock. There is the standing Buddha, two Buddha carvings in lotus position, one massive the other human sized. The human sized Buddha is behind a cage as it’s believed there are riches with it which people are all too willing to steal.

The final carving is of a reclining Buddha. It is believed the reclining Buddha depicts Buddha after he died and not in sleep mode. There are a few clues to this based on the exact details of the carving. Not being knowledgeable about Buddha lore or it’s complex symbology, I can only take for granted what the experts tell me. This site alone was worth my entry fee.

Tomorrow I head back toward Colombo. On the way, I will be visiting additional historical sites and an active Buddhist temple.

Other Pictures

Gal Vihara Sitting Buddha in Protective Cage

Little Girl at Gal Vihara

Gal Vihara Standing Buddha

Gal Vihara Sitting Buddha

Polonnaruwa Stuppa – All Buddha Icons Were Destroyed

Polonnaruwa Book Stone – Inscribed with Ancient Text

Polonnaruwa Three Damaged Buddhas

Polonnaruwa Stone Approaching the Buddha

Polonnaruwa Buddha

Polonnaruwa Headless Buddha

Polonnaruwa Carving

Polonnaruwa Structure With Four Buddhas

Frescoe

Frescoe

Frescoe

Buddha From Top Of Lion’s Rock

Spiral Staircase to Frescoes

Monkey in Meditation?

Monkey at Lion’s Rock

Lion’s Rock

  Sri Lanka #1 – Sigiryia & Gal Vihara (Expat Week #066) I am Lord Sangapala I wrote this song We spoke But they did not answer Those ladies of the Mountain…

[davidstanleytravel]

Standing and recumbent Buddha images have been carved directly into the granite bedrock at the 12th century Gal Vihara in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka. There has been controversy over the meaning of the standing figure's crossed arms.

[kkdas]

Gal Vihara by MelindaChan ^..^ Via Flickr: Polonnaruwa SriLanka 斯里蘭卡

[cluelessbackpacker]

Buddha Buddha everywhere!