15-16 March 2013....Colombo...Kandy

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This whirlwind visit to the current capital and one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka was a port stop and excursion on the M/V Aegean Odyssey, promoted as Voyages to Antiquity, during March of 2013. It was a long and heart-stopping bus ride on narrow, twisty roads from Colombo to Kandy in the central mountains, but well worth it.

The site of Colombo, with its natural harbor, was known to the Greeks and Romans well over 2000 years ago. Arab traders started to settle there in the 8th century CE. Portuguese explorers landed in 1505 CE, established a trading post, expelled the Muslims, and built a fort in 1517. The Dutch took the area in the mid-17th century and held the coast until ousted by the British c. 1800. The British were interested in Colombo as a military outpost rather than a trading center and were responsible for the planning and construction of much of the present city. Even today, the influence of the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British is clearly visible in Colombo's architecture, names, clothing, food, language and attitudes. Buildings from all three eras stand as reminders of the turbulent past of Colombo. The city today is the commercial capital of Sri Lanka, with the administrative capital nearby at Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte.

The city of Kandy was founded around the middle of the 14th century CE and the Kingdom of Kandy emerged in 1521. A complicated history of alliances and rebellions between this last Sri Lankan Kingdom and the Portuguese and Dutch filled the 17th and 18th centuries. The Kandyan Kings stumbled on until final dissolution at the hands of the British in 1815. Their most notable achievement may have been the acquisition of the sacred Relic of the Tooth of Buddha by King Vimaladharmasurya in 1595—the protector of this Relic was considered divinely appointed as ruler of the land. Palaces and monasteries were built for the Relic, the final one being in Kandy, where it remains today; and the luxurious, centuries-old Palace is a pilgrimage site for Buddhists worldwide as well as being a World Heritage Site.

COLOMBO–capital and largest city of Sri Lanka, it has been a trading city for over 2000 years

COLOMBO–Muslim traders arrived in the 9th century...the Portuguese 500 years later

COLOMBO–the streets still hum with activity

COLOMBO–classy old gent with an umbrella against the sun

COLOMBO–buying, selling, and browsing

COLOMBO–Town Hall finished in 1927

COLOMBO–General Treasury Building, finished in 1930

COLOMBO–the Bandanarayake International Conference Hall

COLOMBO–a fine example of old colonial architecture

COLOMBO–the 40-story twin towers of the World Trace Centre are Sri Lanka's tallest buildings

COLOMBO–the Khan Clock Tower was built by a wealthy Mumbai family about 100 years ago

COLOMBO–the Nelum Pokuna, or Lotus Pond, Performing Arts Theater in ultramodern style

COLOMBO–I like any city with airplanes on pedestals

COLOMBO–a nod to colonial times with a monument to Queen Victoria of the British Empire

COLOMBO–Independence Hall mimics the celebration hall of the Kingdom of Kandy

COLOMBO–two Makara bracket the stairways up to the main platform

COLOMBO–the Hall celebrates independence from England, achieved 4 February 1948

COLOMBO–nice unidentified building facing Independence Square

COLOMBO–a modern Buddhist temple, built in octagon shape

COLOMBO–the central hall, three stories tall, is eerily Byzantine

COLOMBO–the primary Buddha image stands serenely

COLOMBO–the red palm of Buddha with lotus flower markings

COLOMBO–illusionistic images combine paintings with relief sculptures and fully 3D elements

COLOMBO–an older Buddhist temple in the more typical stupa shape

COLOMBO–a stupa built high above a roadway, with a long stair climb to the entrance

COLOMBO–a Catholic church tucked in between residential buildings

COLOMBO–Murugan Hindu temple in South Indian, or Slave Island, style

COLOMBO–Galle Face Green, with its lawns and beaches, is the doorstep of the city

COLOMBO–the shoreline attracts locals as a pleasant getaway from the crowded city

COLOMBO–lovely formal botanical gardens

COLOMBO–I loved the lean of this grove of skinny palm trees

COLOMBO–the national sport is cricket

COLOMBO–Gangaramaya Buddhist Temple is an eclectic collection of buildings and courtyards near Beira Lake

COLOMBO–it is a popular place for wedding parties to be blessed

COLOMBO–one temple houses a creepy assortment of Buddhist statuary

COLOMBO–the ultra-realistic style is a bit disconcerting

COLOMBO–a stupa gets a makover

COLOMBO–Ganesh, the elephant-headed Hindu god, is revered at the temple

COLOMBO–a sprig of the sacred Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura has grown into an enormous convoluted structure

COLOMBO–room after room holds innumerable 'treasures' of the temple

COLOMBO–gifts and donations clutter the temple's treasury

COLOMBO–the treasures include an entire stuffed elephant

COLOMBO–a few classic cars collect dust at the temple entrance

COLOMBO–a stepped wall of Buddhas and stupas

KANDY–leaving the city for the mountainous interior and vistas of rolling hills and valleys

KANDY–a large Buddha image tops one of the hills

KANDY–the city of Kandy was the last capital of the Sinhalese Kingdom of Kandy

KANDY–the Royal Palace of Kandy, now the Archeological Museum at the Temple of the Tooth

KANDY–flower offerings being prepared for the Temple of the Tooth, part of the Sacred City

KANDY–an older stupa predates the largely 18th century complex of the present-day Temple

KANDY–the wood and gold structure is especially sacred to Buddhists

KANDY–the Pattirippuwa, an octagon-shaped building on the moat surrounding the Temple

KANDY–carved moonstone slabs lead to the Temple entrances

KANDY–a tunnel, the ambarawa, leads to the main shrine

KANDY–behind the curtain is a golden reliquary containing a tooth of the Buddha

KANDY–the upper story of the Dalada Shrine, entirely in wood

KANDY–a worshipper before a small stupa

KANDY–another curtained shrine in the complex

KANDY–the Audience Hall contains many Buddha images in luxurious style

KANDY–columns and ceiling framing of the Audience Hall are accented with gold leaf

CLICK on the first photo to start a Slideshow

60 PHOTOS

WORLD HERITAGE SITE

Sacred City of Kandy