Dambulla cave temple

On Thursday, we awoke to rain, which seemed very appropriate being on a tropical island so we didn't mind.   Though we were a bit groggy as we'd had  3 am visitor that freaked us both out.  After talk last night, trotting through the jungle at dusk after climbing Sigiriya, of the perils of wild elephants, evil monkeys and poisonous snakes, we'd gotten a bit paranoid about the native fauna.

So when I heard something MOVE near my HEAD in the middle of the night, needless to say, I took it as a serious affront to my personal well being.  Nice to know I'm still spry enough to leap to the other side of the room, in the dark, without falling on my face.  Luckily, after waking up Marshall the Brave, pointing him at my nightstand and demanding he perform his husbandly duties of finding out what the hell was over there, we discovered a decidedly non-threatening gecko eating my banana.  Which, for dramatic affect, was in a super crinkly plastic bag - hence the terrifying "attack of the rabid monkey tearing its way through the window screen" noise that woke me up.    Satisfied that today was indeed not our day to die, we shooed him off, stuck the banana in the lidded trashcan and went back to bed.

On the docket for today was a trip to the Dambulla cave temples, which were nearby.   Most of Tharangi's family took a pass, partly due to rain and that they'd all seen it before, but I also think because we were at a super sweet resort and the kids wanted to swim in the pool.   So Jon, T, Marsh and I headed off to check it out. It is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock they are in rises 160 meters above the surrounding area and the temple is spread over 5 caves.  The caves are filled with paintings and statues related to Lord Buddha and his life - 153 Buddha statues, 3 statues of Sri Lankan kings and 4 statues of gods and goddesses including Hindu gods  Vishnu and Ganesh. The murals cover an area of 2,100 square metres.  This complex dates from the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, by the 11th century, the caves had become a major religious centre and still are. Our buddy from Polunnaruwa, King Nissanka Malla gilded the caves and added about 70 Buddha statues in 1190. During the 18th century, the caves were restored and painted by the Kandyan Kings.

Jon and Tharangi making good use of the resort umbrellas, of which there are several in each room right by the door

We bought some flowers to take to The Buddha, don't Jon & Marsh look like they are going on a double date?

Tharangi, Jon and Marsh on our march up the hill to the caves

Personal tremendous amusement, having lived in Arizona for years, to find a prickly pear cactus growing in a decidedly NON-desert environment.

Cindy and the prickly pear cactus.  In the rain.  Just too weird. 

I believe the outside facade with its arches and pillars was added in the late 19th century

 

Lots of Buddhas...  Hard to get great photos in here - no flash, very dark, some of the caves are quite large and there are people all over, so sorry some are a tad blurry. 

Interesting shot to attempt, as this Buddha is maybe 20 feet long, and the cave isn't very wide :)

Nice view, but again kind of hazy as its cloudy and rainy. 

As with all Buddhist religious sites - no shoes.  But they have a handy little shoe drop out front for a small fee.  Excellent idea, as Marsh regaled us with the tale of his dad Marvin having his shoes stolen outside a temple in Thailand.  Spent the rest of the day wandering around in his socks.  The problem with having nice first-world shoes in a poor country.  As the local joke goes "Leave the party early, so you can take the best coat."   :)

Monkey tree.  This caused quite a bottleneck on the walk down as the tourists were all snapping photos.  As did we, keeping our distance.  I've heard too many scary stories about evil monkeys. 

Though its hard not to like the pair with the baby  :)

The tacky giant gold Buddha that squats over the entrance to the museum at the base on the hill.  We didn't go in.  I think most locals find this rather obnoxious, but it does make for a good snapshot!