Sigiriya & Dambulla Day Excursion

Early morning departure to the Ayurvedic gardens in Matale. We will visit the Ayurvedic medicine gardens, where we will see how exotic spices, fruits and vegetables, herbs and other ingredients of the Sri Lankan diet grow. In the Ayurvedic gardens we will see how ship ropes are made from coconuts, how local housewives prepare the popular Sri Lankan curry spice, how palm leaves are used to make roofs for houses, and how todi is obtained – palm liquid from which palm honey and sugar are produced. palm or local alcohol – arak.

We will also see how cinnamon is obtained. We will also have a short demonstration massage using red oil – supposedly a panacea for all problems with the skeletal system, rheumatism, joint pain, etc. After which we will go to Sigiriiya, a monolith over 200 meters high, where King Kassiapa built a fortress in the 5th century AD.

The height to be overcome is approximately 160 vertical meters, mainly on stairs and paths. The rock has been inhabited for thousands of years, but the most visible result of human activity are the ruins of the city from the 5th century AD, along with a preserved and still well-functioning hydraulic system, including spa and massage salons, swimming pools, fountains, artificial streams, cascade gardens and ponds. From the top of the mountain there is a view of the nearby jungle, rice fields, fountain gardens and swimming pools that we passed earlier, and you can see a giant statue of Buddha in mudra – come to me, don’t be afraid. On the way, we pass caves with the remains of frescoes from the reign of King Kassiapa. The lion’s platform, which was once defended by the open mouth of the colossal lion built there (now only its paws and claws remain), opens the entrance to the very top. The ascent and descent will take approximately 2.5-3 hours, but people who are afraid of heights may have problems reaching the very top.

On this day we will also visit the Rangiri temple in Dambulla. There are two parts there – a modern one, built at the end of the 20th century, with a gigantic statue of the Buddha in the darmachakra mudra and installations imitating Buddha’s disciples, an artificial rock, a Buddhist museum and other shrines. The monk who manages this strange product of Buddhist architectural thought also runs a radio station, a newspaper publishing house, a television station, a foundation and a Buddhist university. However, the modern part of Dambulla is not our goal. We will go to a small hill where, in caves divided into five caves, there is a Buddhist temple founded by King Wlagambahu in the 1st century BC. There are 150 Buddha statues and several other statuettes of Sri Lankan kings and nobles from various eras, as well as statues of Hindu gods and numerous bodhisattva statuettes.

Lunch is planned during the tour.