Buddhas & more Buddhas

(Blue text is Becky, black Stretch.)

Just before we hit the road from Kandy to see several ancient sites, the unseasonal rains began. Roads were getting washed out from the over flowing rivers, hillsides and trees sliding down... This was just the beginning of a very wet-time-to-be in Sri Lanka. At this point we decided that the one umbrella we had purchased back in Shimla, India really wasn't keeping either of us dry as we tried to walk side by side under it, so I picked up another. We were both rather amused by being umbrella owners, since we seem to have coats for every season, and umbrellas aren't very, well...Alaskan. But one has to adapt.

We started the day by comfortable air conditioned bus but had to make an unexpected exit - (intestinal distress) in some small town. Disappointed to give up our cushy seats, but relieved... we hired a tuk tuk to get us the last 24 kilometers to Dambulla. From here on, like the weather, the transportation became eventful as well.

Tuk Tuk time

Dambulla has 5 caves with carved Buddhas inside from about 500 years ago.....Imagine our surprise when we were greeted by a very large gold Buddha, perched on top the entrance to a carnival ride, I mean museum (note the mouth for doors and the eyes above the doors). Luckily the ancient path to the caves was around to the sides and was a little less neo-kitschy

Each cave had a reclining Buddha about 15' long and each
cave was from a different king out to out-due the last with more
 Buddhas...The oldest had the best carvings, even a dented
pillow or Buddha's head....

A Buddha of every shape for every preference... 

In Nepal and India they were called "Stupas"
Here they are "Dagobas" and they use a lot
of gold....

Cave ceiling paintings

The Buddhas were pretty amazing due to the age and the detail work. Not only were there many statues in each cave, the ceiling was covered with the same paintings of Buddha. Not to offend any Buddhist out there, but it was as if the more Buddhas there were, the more sacred the place was perceived to be.  

We continued traveling by tuk-tuk that day to Sigiriya, the next ancient site on our itinerary.