The Vesak Festival

Vesak Poya falls on the full moon day in May and commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha. The decision to celebrate Vesak was made at the first conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists held in Sri Lanka in 1950.

On Vesak day, devotees observe sil [the 5 or 8 precepts of Buddhism] at their neighborhood temples.

Buddhists also celebrate by lighting Vesak Laterns. When walking around the buzzing cities and towns on this day, you are bound to come across a lot of colourful and creative lanterns as well as bright Pandols that tell stories from Buddha’s life and teach religious lessons.

Vesak Buckets

The crowds to see the decorations for Vesak

The colourful lanterns...

Lanterns hanging over the crowded streets...

Another interesting feature of Vesak Poya are the Dansal. These are stalls that are found all over the cities and towns who offer food and/or drink to passersby for free.  They usually offer fruit juices, herbal teas, rice and curry, chick peas, ice cream and more…

Our dansal dinner...

If you’re in Sri Lanka during this time, walking around these decorated areas and indulging in food from dansal as well as street food is far better than just driving by!

Enjoying some street food...!

'Isso Wadey' My favourite type of Sri Lankan street food!

Saravita - A popular sweet snack...

Fresh fruit juices...

A variety of street food

More street food!

Religions in Sri Lanka: Part 1 - Buddhism

I’m starting this blog with a confession. I’m ashamed to admit that I, a self-proclaimed travel buff, have not been on an adventure in the past month. This left me with the problem of not having anything to blog about. So I thought I’d go ahead with something I already have some solid insight to: Religions in Sri Lanka.

My mom’s a Christian and my dad’s a Buddhist, so I consider myself to be half and half and I’ve been going to temples, churches and Kovils all my life! Sri Lanka is a multicultural nation with four main religions; Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. Each of them stem from various stages throughout Sri Lanka’s rich history and have heavily influenced our culture and traditions.

A little over 70% of the country’s population is Buddhist. Buddhism was brought to Sri Lanka from India in 246 BC by a Buddhist Monk named Mihindu [or Mahinda] who was the son of the Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka. He was said to have been standing atop Mihintale Rock and to have called out to King Devanampiya Tissa as he was about to hunt a deer in the jungle. He then converted the King into Buddhism. His sister Arahath Sanghamitra later arrived in Sri Lanka carrying a sapling of the Bodhi Tree on which Lord Buddha had attained Enlightenment. The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhiya was planted by King Devanampiya Tissa in Anuradhapura. From then on Buddhism was carried down through generations spreading across the country to become the official religion of Sri Lanka in 200 BC.

Arahath Mahinda calling out to King Devanampiya Tissa

Arahath Sangamithra bringing the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhiya

After the death of Lord Buddha, his Sacred Tooth Relic was brought to Sri Lanka in the 4^th Century by Prince Dantha and Princess Hemamala. They were said to have been disguised as Brahmins to avoid recognition and the Sacred Tooth Relic was hidden in the Princess’s hair. The Relic has played a huge role in Sri Lanka’s history as the people believed that whoever possessed the tooth was the ruler of the land and as a result many wars were waged to gain ownership of this relic. Currently it is housed at the Temple of the Tooth Relic which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Kandy.

Bringing the Sacred Tooth Relic to Sri Lanka

There are many Temples that are places of interest to travellers like the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy mentioned above and the Gangarama Temple in Colombo. I personally prefer my small and quiet neighbourhood temple that is a short walk away from my home. I insist that you visit a local temple that is not well known while you are in Sri Lanka instead of just visiting the more popular ones because you would get a better idea of the religion and its calm and simple nature.

The Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy

The Gangarama Temple in Colombo

Buddhists in Sri Lanka follow the Theravada teachings where Lord Buddha is seen as a man who achieved Enlightenment and taught monks to follow and spread his teachings. It is more of a philosophy and a way of life than it is a religion. People do not officially worship Lord Buddha but instead show reverence to his memory unlike the Mahayana teachings where the Buddha is seen as a superhuman being.

One of the best things about living in Sri Lanka is that we get a holiday on the full moon day every month. These are called Poya days and they were declared a holiday so that the Buddhists in Sri Lanka can spend the day worshipping in the temple. The most significant day in Buddhism’s calendar is Vesak Poya which falls on the full moon day in May to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Lord Buddha. It is celebrated by decorating houses and streets with Vesak Lanterns in different shapes, sizes and colours. There are also large pandols lit up with hundreds of bulbs showing different stories from Lord Buddha’s life. People usually walk around the streets enjoying these decorations in the night time. Another unique feature of Vesak Poya is that there are several stalls along the streets called ‘dansal’ that give out free food, drink and desserts to any and all passers-by. This is one of my favourite things about living in Sri Lanka!

Colourful Vesak Lanterns

A Vesak Pandol

A stall handing out free ice cream to passers by

Temples also organise big parades called peraheras that vary in size depending on the temple. The most popular perahera takes place in Kandy, where the Sacred Tooth Relic is taken on the back of a tusker behind several dancers, fire dancers, decorated elephants and drummers etc. It is definitely something you should try and check out if you plan to be in Sri Lanka during that time.

Fire dancers in a Perahera

Hiking up Ritigala and Bible Rock

I’ve come to realize that the hardest part of sharing my travel experiences on a blog each month is figuring out how to start writing the posts! Picking a topic is actually one of the easier things to do because I always have new trips and experiences to write about. In the last few months I was lucky enough to cross two hikes off my bucket list. The first was the Ritigala climb and the second, Bible Rock. 

Located about an hour south of the Ancient city of Anuradhapura, Ritgala is the highest mountain in the Nothern part of Sri Lanka. The name ‘Ritigala’ is derived from the Pali word Arittha Pabbata which means dreadful mountain. The path we took was the one with the stone steps that led to the monastery ruins. 

Bible Rock or Bathalegala can be seen on the Kadugannawa stretch of the Colombo-Kandy road. It is a very prominent mountain with a flat top that stands out in its lush surrounding. Located in Aranayake, Bible Rock got its name because it resembles a lectern. 

Bible rock from the Colombo-Kandy road

The drive to the starting point of both the climbs were very different. The road to the base of Ritigala was a small, flat gravel road that ran through a forest. The road to the start of the Bible Rock climb on the other hand should only be approached with a 4 wheel drive vehicle because it was more of an uphill gravel road that was full of pot holes.

The road to the base of Ritigala

The road to the start of Bible Rock

If you asked me which climb I liked better, I wouldn’t be able to give you a straight answer. They were both amazing experiences but in different ways. The Ritigala climb was easier because we followed a stone pathway which wasn’t too steep. It went through an enchanting and mysterious forest where we came across pretty butterflies flitting around, small streams of clear cool water and rays of sunlight sweeping in through the cracks in the forest canopy. My Aunt Caryll called it a great place to meditate and clear your thoughts.

A well camouflaged butterfly...

The pathway through the magical forest!

 

The forest with the rich history

More steps along the path...

"This is a good place to meditate"

There are many myths associated with Ritigala. One such myth is that it is home to a powerful medicinal herb called Sansevi that is believed to give long life and cure all human pain. There is a pocket of vegetation with medicinal herbs that is different to the rest of the growth in the mountain range. It is believed that this was accidently dropped off the Himalaya Mountain that Lord Hanuman, an ape-like humanoid with supernatural powers was carrying from India to Sita Eliya in the hill country. The vegetation in Ritigala is said to be protected by the Yakkas who are the guardian spirits of the mountain. 

The Bible Rock climb in contrast was more adventurous and off the beaten track. There used to be a pathway that led to a small temple at the top, but there has long since had a Buddhist Monk there. Because no one uses the path anymore it is overgrown and at some points we had to wade through the plants that were blocking our way. There were even points at which we had to tip toe around the edge of rocks on the tree roots that were wrapped around it because it was the only way to continue going up! 

A really small girl or a really big plant?!

My hiking crew...!

 

When you compare the view from the top, Bible Rock was a clear winner because all you see for miles around are valleys and mountains. The view was so amazing that all we wanted to do was sit and admire it. Once we got to the Monastery ruins in Ritigala, I was a little underwhelmed because I was expecting a little more. We also weren’t allowed to go beyond that point because it is a strict natural reserve. 

Our first glance at the view

On top of the world!

The valley and the mountains that surrounded it...

The abandoned temple

Head in the clouds...

Soaking in the amazing view

Both hikes were amazing in their own way and I would definitely recommend that you experience it if you get the chance to. Just remember to carry lots of drinking water with you!