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Sri Lanka travelogue, part 5: Anuradhapura

Ben van den Anker
2006-05-02 01:51:08

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I sit in the back of the bus, here is more place for my backpack. Everyone with luggage comes to the back, chicken in a box are struggling for air as everyone put more boxes on top of their box. I get tired of these four hours in the bus, by now I can't remember how I survived the 16 hours bus rides in Vietnam this summer. The bus station in Anuradhapura looks a bit chaotic to me, I don't know where is north and south. For the first time I'm walking the opposite direction of where I should be heading, finally a taxi drives me to the Lakeview hotel. I was heading for it anyway, he offered to bring me to that hotel for almost nothing as it were relatives of him. What a coincidence, another coincidence is that the owner is the brother of the hotel owner in Pollonaruwa, his first question was where I stayed in Pollonaruwa.

For over 1000 years Singhalese kings ruled over this city. It is the most important and extensive of the Sri Lankan ancient cities. The last great king Mahasena (276-303 AD) held the record for tank construction, building totally 16 of them all. Keeping the water in the country has always been a major concern. Anuradhapura survived 500 years after Mahasena before being replaced by Pollonaruwa. Again and again the South Indian invasions harassed it.

The center of the town is the the sacred Bo-tree, in a both spiritual as physical sense. For tomorrow I hire a bike, this afternoon I will do everything on foot. I soon find out that this ancient city is far more spread out than Pollonaruwa, I have to walk great distances. After passing several roadblocks and two body checks I am allowed to enter the Bodhi area. This huge tree has grown from a sapling brought from Bodh Gaya in India by the princess Sangamitta, sister of Mahinda who introduced Buddha's teachings to Sri Lanka. It has also a connection to the very basic of Singhalese religion. To me it looks quit ordinary, the area is crowded with people, mainly woman. I ...

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