{"id":33781,"date":"2013-11-04T18:29:53","date_gmt":"2013-11-04T17:29:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/sri-lanka-le-triangle-sacre-20131104.html"},"modified":"2016-02-10T10:13:18","modified_gmt":"2016-02-10T09:13:18","slug":"sri-lanka-the-sacred-triangle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/en\/sri-lanka-the-sacred-triangle","title":{"rendered":"Sri Lanka, the sacred triangle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Still numb from a long night on the plane, suffocated by the heat that burns your lungs as soon as you leave the airport, vaguely dizzy from the heady scent of the necklace of frangipani flowers that a welcoming Sinhalese woman passes around the neck of arrivals... the first steps on Sri Lankan soil are a shock; sensory, emotional, cultural. It's almost as if you forget the guide, who greets his guests with an audible \"Ayubowan\", hands clasped at face level. Much more than a sign of welcome, it's a message of peace and prosperity. It's five o'clock in the morning, it's still dark, but it's time to get moving.<\/p>\n

There's no time to wonder, no time to decompress, and perhaps that's for the best! Because Colombo grabs you in a hurry, catching you in the net of its endless suburbs without letting you breathe. Sri Lanka's capital is not well-loved, and it's true that you don't know how to tame it. The initial descriptions don't make you want to linger there: noisy and disorderly, polluted and congested. So many visitors settle for a stopover in an over-air-conditioned hotel on arrival, or for dinner on the way back, just before getting back on the plane.<\/p>\n

In this game, the Galle Face hotel holds the rope. This delightfully old-fashioned palace, with its old servants in livery and plaques on the walls commemorating a century and a half in the service of the world's great and good, is a veritable little museum. \"Its wide seafront lawn is perfect for evenings in the shade of the coconut palms.<\/em>It's a great place to stay,\" says Chandra Wickramasinghe, manager of the Connaissance de Ceylan hotel. However, in a few months' time, the hotel will be sharing the stage with other hotels with more contemporary lines. Hyatt expected in 2014, Shangri-La in 2015: the luxury establishments under construction by the sea show that the country has turned the page on the civil war, when for thirty years the \"Tamil Tigers\" opposed the government in power.<\/p>\n

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The more adventurous who wander into this urban jumble will discover a few rare treasures behind the wide avenues given over to tuk-tuks, handcars and Tata cars, the low-cost Indian cars that bear witness to the new era that is dawning. There are Victorian buildings inherited from the British Empire - once magnificent and now regaining some of their colour - and a whole colonial quarter, with beautiful mansions frozen in time that house embassies and expatriate residences, as well as ageless streets around the fort and a few temples - such as Gangaramaya, set on a lake - that are hardly spectacular.<\/p>\n

Bright smiles<\/h2>\n

But that's not the whole story, because Colombo is first and foremost a slice of life, a dizzying plunge into the soul of the country, especially when you mingle with the crowds at the Pettah market. More than the hustle and bustle that spills over from the pavements, the smiles that light up the faces of the Sinhalese at every opportunity remain. Stressful though it may be, this visit to Colombo is not all in vain, giving you a first-hand feel of 'contemporary' Sri Lanka before heading further north, towards the Cultural Golden Triangle that is the delight of the country. A virtual triangle of major historical sites, all within two hours of each other.<\/p>\n

So we headed for Anuradhapura, a good four hours' drive from the capital. And while a brand new ribbon of tarmac has done away with the potholes, the route is far from a smooth ride. Everywhere you look, hectic rickshaws and backfiring mopeds, carefree cows and stray dogs... To avoid panicking, the best thing to do is to concentrate on the simple, joyful spectacle unfolding behind the minibus windows. To the left, the navy blue of the Indian Ocean, fringed by cinnamon-coloured beaches; to the right, the plains in shades of green, pierced by immense coconut groves and coloured by saris drying in the sun... The road finally leaves the coast to run through hills and rice paddies, passing through lively villages with advertising signs straight out of a Bollywood film. To get to the country's ancient capital, from the third century BC to the tenth century AD, you might prefer to take the ancient road to the city. It's not much faster, but it's deliciously nostalgic. JF Tours & Travels offers its old steam train, equipped with two air-conditioned carriages with a capacity of 32 passengers each, for a serene tour of the country while enjoying a cocktail or lunch...<\/p>\n

An immense white dagoba, a semi-hemispherical structure also known in Asia as a stupa, symbolically commemorating the death and enlightenment of the Buddha, heralds the arrival at Anuradhapura. In this political and spiritual stronghold of ancient times, the remains are scattered here and there, sometimes drowned by invading jungle which, encouraged by the generosity of the monsoon rains, is constantly trying to reclaim its rights. When you see the brick walls of an old monastery in the hands of monitor lizards, some of which are a metre long, it's hard to imagine what life was like for the 5,000 monks there at the time.<\/p>\n

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Yet Anuradhapura is not just a city of palaces and shrines bearing the scars of time. Everywhere, sellers of jasmine and lotus flowers bear witness to the fact that it remains, still and always, the holy city of Sinhalese Buddhism. Religious fervour abounds around the \"Buddha tree\", said to be 2,600 years old - making it the oldest in the world! - According to legend, it grew from the cutting of the ficus religiosa<\/em> under which Prince Siddhartha received enlightenment, at Gaya in India.<\/p>\n

The long silhouettes of the faithful stand out against the wisps of incense in the temple set up at the foot of this sacred tree. People make offerings, bring their families, chat and even improvise picnics! The immense site, stretching for some ten kilometres, is also home to a number of spectacular dagobas, huge 'bells' that tower above the canopy. Once free of its shroud of greenery, the Jetavanarama dagoba finally reveals its gigantic dimensions: 120 metres in diameter, the largest in the country, while the 90-metre-high Ruvanvelisaya dagoba dazzles with its new-found whiteness. It is also a delight for the pilfering monkeys who, perched on the 400 elephant statues surrounding the monument, greedily watch the ballet of pilgrims...<\/p>\n

The tree of awakening<\/h2>\n

Agencies that invite their clients to visit this World Heritage Site now suggest venturing further north, to Wilpattu National Park, some thirty kilometres away. \"Closed during the war, it is now open again for elephant safaris, and even leopard safaris if you're really lucky!<\/em>\"explains tour guide Prasad. Soon, whales will be the region's main attraction. \"Hotels are due to be built near Kalpitiya, so that cetaceans can be seen up close.<\/em>\"he adds.<\/p>\n

For the moment, the cultural journey continues inland, in the mountains of the centre, towards Polonnaruwa, the country's second-largest capital, dating from the 11th and 12th centuries. The landscape alternates between lakes planted with water lilies, forests and market gardens, enabling the local people to improve their standard of living. Judging by the houses lining the road, they have had some success: brick is gradually replacing cob, and tin roofs are giving way to tiles. Then there are the rice fields, invaded by egrets that follow the farmers like seagulls follow fishermen. Elephant crossing signs dot the 65 kilometres. Nonchalantly, one of them points the tip of its trunk at the roadside, impassive to the passing cars...<\/p>\n

Although better preserved than those of Anuradhapura because they are more recent, the remains of Polonnaruwa are nonetheless immersed in an abundance of nature that Indiana Jones would certainly not have disliked. By way of adventurers, it is an armada of monks, draped in saffron robes and protecting their shaven heads with yellow umbrellas, who walk the trails today. The image might seem eternal if most of them weren't busy texting on their smartphones! In the blackened ruins of the stupas and in the palaces, Buddha reigns supreme; of all sizes, seated to meditate, standing with his arms crossed as a sign of benevolence, lying down or carved into the rock...<\/p>\n

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But the most impressive of all these representations is to be found at Dambulla, not far from Polonnaruwa, with an immense gilded statue of the \"Awakened One\", standing 30 metres tall at the entrance to this other sacred site.<\/p>\n

Very kitsch at first glance, but the five grottoes with their richly decorated walls and home to 150 Buddhas then invite you to marvel. Outside, beside a water-lily-covered pool, women pray before the ubiquitous \"wisdom\" tree - the B\u00f4 tree - an enormous banyan with a twisted trunk. All along the staircase leading to the caves, it's the court of miracles: fortune-tellers and snake charmers hail visitors. Nothing to frighten the mahout and his elephant who bring the strange procession to a close...<\/p>\n

Palace built on rock<\/h2>\n

To complete this tour of Sinhalese marvels enshrined by UNESCO, there was one lighthouse missing from this cultural triangle. In this case, it's Sigiriya, the \"Lion Rock\", a geological strangeness floating above an ocean of greenery. It is to Sri Lanka what Ayers Rock is to Australia: much more than a granite 'monument', it is a myth. You have to catch your breath and not look down, because the climb is so dizzying... and so exhausting in the hot sun! Hundreds of steps, clinging to the rock or floating in the void, lead to the top of this enormous monolith, perched 370 metres above the ground, where the improbable ruins of a palace built 1,500 years ago by a bloodthirsty parricidal king sit enthroned!<\/p>\n

Vertigo of space: from up there, the 360\u00b0 view is lost in an endless jungle. It's a feast for the senses too: halfway up the gruelling ascent, frescoes reveal scantily-clad women who, although painted on the rock in the 5th century, have lost none of their freshness! The agencies have clearly understood how much they can gain from the infinite beauty of the site. There are plenty of activities on offer all around: forest treks, canyoning, mountain biking, hot-air ballooning, ayurvedic cures and elephant rides, as well as culinary workshops where you can learn how to make delicious chicken curries.<\/p>\n

Following the spice route, we reach Kandy, also a former capital, situated in the middle of this virtual cultural triangle. As you turn the bends, the primary forest slowly gives way to a more tamed nature. The British, who took possession of the island in the wake of the Portuguese, left their mark. Numerous \"spice gardens\" mark out the route.<\/p>\n

At Highland Spice Garden, cinnamon and pepper, vanilla and cardamom fill the air. Cloves too, with a heady scent reminiscent of a dentist's surgery... More generally, the inevitable shop at the end of the visit is an opportunity to stock up on your pharmacy. From headaches to cholesterol - and even impotence - there's a remedy for almost everything!<\/p>\n

In these \"mountains in the middle\", which rise to 2,200 metres, the English also imported the first tea plants, transforming the highlands into an immense carpet of soft green dotted with tea factories. \"There were as many as 200 of them, and there are still a few dozen left,\" explains the young woman guiding the tour of the Giragama estate. It's an opportunity to discover the twelve stages of production, from picking the leaves to packing, drying and fermenting in machines from another age. Batik, the textile painting technique that involves printing a fabric by applying layers of hot wax, is just as ancient. It's a job that requires patience and self-sacrifice, as the workers at Maithree Batiks, a factory on the outskirts of Matale, a bustling little town with strong Muslim influences, prove every day, even if the local star is the Sri Muthumariamman, a Hindu temple overflowing with statues of divinities.<\/p>\n

A most sacred tooth<\/h2>\n

Kandy is finally here. At 500 metres above sea level, you'd think the city would be cool and relaxed. But the traffic, noise and pollution quickly dampen all hopes! Religious fervour is at its height here, adding to the warm atmosphere... Because nowhere is Buddha, who is said to have visited Sri Lanka several times, more revered than in this city, where the temple houses one of his teeth. Dressed all in white, barefoot and with their arms laden with offerings, noisy clusters of families throng here every day in an indescribable rush. People prostrate themselves and pray in front of the chamber decorated with elephant tusks, which contains the casket - seven miniature gold stupas nested one inside the other - concealing the precious relic.<\/p>\n

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Tourists elbow each other to immortalise the scene, without wondering for a second what their reaction would be to such a disrespectful 'invasion' of our cathedrals... They will be even more unruly in July and August, for the Perahera festival which sees elephants dressed up parade through the streets. Neither the few monuments in Kandy, nor the soothing lake that lazes in the centre of the city, nor the exceptional botanical gardens, not even the traditional dance performances, will be able to eclipse this unique moment of fervour... Sri Lanka has suffered a great deal in recent years - war, tsunami... - but is finally rediscovering its identity as well as true serenity. All set in enchanting landscapes. And that's not spoiling anything.<\/p>\n