The long drive south

We were up a bit earlier today as Champi had proposed an 8.30 departure for the drive back south. This took us first over the Elephant Pass causeway where we stopped to take a few photos.

The road then led through an area of lush paddy fields. The locals dry their rice on the road itself so we had to 'overtake' these areas frequently.

Champi proposed stopping for something to eat but we were happy just to get a cold drink and make use of the bathrooms.

Mihintale

Our main sightseeing today was at Mihintale, which means Mahinda's Mountain. This is a significant site for Sri Lanka's Buddhists, as it was here that the Sinhalese king was converted.

Champi again proved to be more driver than guide as he simply bought our tickets then left us to explore alone. There were few signs in English apart from one area, and it was frustrating to see other tourists listening to their informative guides. But we enjoyed taking photos and exploring as best we could. And I have since done some online research to identify what we saw and what, frustratingly, we missed.

There was a long flight of stone steps from the car park. (I have read 800, though I didn’t count them myself) led up to the main structures of Mihintale. These steps once served as a meditation path for the monks as well as a route for visiting pilgrims.

At the top we had to remove our shoes and continue barefoot or just in socks. The latter was preferable given how hot the stones were. Immediately in front of us was an open space known as Ambastale Terrace, with a central stupa, and I contented myself with exploring here while Chris climbed further to two larger and much higher stupas.

I later read that I was standing in one of the most sacred parts of the complex, said to be one of the ten places on the island to have been visited by the Buddha himself. Its central white stupa is the Ambastale Dagoba (dagoba is the Sri Lankan word for stupa) or the Sela Chethiya. It marks the spot where Mahinda met the king and is also believed to be the monk’s burial place.

The stone pillars surrounding the stupa once held a wooden roof which protected pilgrims circumambulating it from the elements. Nearby on this plateau I was taken with several interesting-looking stone carvings. These include a statue of King Devanampiya Tissa, he who was first converted to Buddhism here. There are others about which I haven’t been able to find any information, although I gather some are gifts from other nations.

In addition to the higher stupas that Chris had climbed up to, another large outcrop had a gleaming white Buddha but looked too daunting to tackle, especially without shoes! Also overlooking the Ambastale Terrace is Aradhana Gala or Invitation Rock. It is said that it was from this spot that the monk Mahinda called to the king, inviting him to engage in the conversation that would lead to his conversion.

Back at the foot of the steps we explored the nearest ruins. These include several ancient stupas.

One of the most significant structures was the Assembly Hall or Convocation Hall, where the monks held their daily gatherings. In the centre of this is a dais which served as the seat of the chief monk. The building originally had a wooden roof held up by the stone pillars that still remain and was open at the sides.

Another significant building here was the refectory, known as the Alms Hall. The name refers to the Buddhist practice of giving food to monks as alms.

Not far from this are two stone tablets, dating from the 10th century, which are engraved with rules for the administration of the monastic order. Modern signs next to them helpfully translate the engravings into English, so this was one sight here that I was able to understand without a guide!

The many rules included:

• The monks shall rise early morning, meditate, cleanse the teeth and shall put on robes as described in the Sikha karani
• Thereafter they shall go to the cafeteria at Eth Vehera chanting pirith and receive food
• The sick monks who are unable to attend shall receive food as recommended by the physicians
• The monks residing in Chetiyagiri shall not possess any properties
• The monks who infringe the above regulations shall not live in Chetiyagiri

And very many more!

We returned to the car and Champi drove the last hour or so to our accommodation. On the way he stopped to buy some red bananas from a roadside stall as he'd wanted us to sample them yesterday in the market in Jaffna but had been unable to buy a small quantity. This was the conflict in our minds about him - a really nice guy, and careful driver, but not a guide!

Wild Grass Nature Resort

Our accommodation for the next three nights was Wild Grass Nature Resort, accessed down a narrow bumpy lane. We were welcomed with cold towels, refreshing juices and a bunch of local flowers for me. We were then escorted to our villa, Nightjar, which was rather fabulous! We had a ground floor seating area with a view of the lake, off which was a bathroom with open air shower. The bed was upstairs, where there was also a balcony with seating again overlooking the lake.

Seating area

The downside to this luxury was very patchy wifi but we were able to check messages. I exchanged emails with the support team at Selective Asia as the hotel seemed to think we were on a breakfast only basis while our itinerary said dinner was also included. SA confirmed that almost immediately and got touch with the hotel to clarify. Soon after that one of the staff knocked on the door to take our order from a four-course menu that looked bound to be too much for us to eat!

However that turned out not to be the case. We went along to the restaurant early in order to have a pre-dinner drink, which seemed to slightly throw the staff as it took them some time to make the relatively simple cocktails chosen from their list - although I have to say that when it came my mojito was very good. And dinner too was excellent, and not really too large, as portion size was sensible. Chris declared his curry the best he's had so far in Sri Lanka, while I especially liked the very smooth curds and treacle.

Back at our villa we had the prosaic task of sorting our laundry before another early night.