Sri Lanka: Touring Colombo

Insignia wasn’t due to sail from Colombo until 6:00p. With plenty of time on our hands, once we arrived back in the city, we asked our guide if he could give us a quick tour of the highlight.

Our first stop was Independence Square … home to the Independence Memorial Hall … a national monument built to commemorate Sri Lanka’s independence from British rule in 1948. It sits at the spot where the formal ceremony marking the start of self-rule was held.

At the head of the hall — an open-air structure with beautifully carved columns holding up the roof — is a statue of Don Stephen Senanayake, the “Father of the Nation.” Until the parliament was moved to the new complex, the Memorial Hall also served as the ceremonial assembly hall for the Senate and the House of Representatives of Ceylon … as the country was then known.

Next, we walked across the street to the Old Colombo Dutch Hospital. Dating back to the 1680s, it is considered to be the oldest surviving building from Sri Lanka’s Dutch colonial period. It was built to not only provide medical care to the officers and staff of the Dutch East India Company, but also to serve Dutch seafarers. After serving other functions following independence, in 2011, it was converted into a shopping and dining district. The buildings were closed today — due to Vesak Day — but that didn’t stop us from wandering the grounds before moving onto a Buddhist temple.

Gangaramaya Temple is one of the most important Buddhist temples in Colombo. Dating back to the late 19th century, it sits on the site of what was a small shrine near the shores of Lake Beira. It is constructed in an eclectic mix of Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian, Chinese, and modern architecture, and consists of several different buildings, including a sanctuary, a relic chamber, residential and alms halls, and more.

I was fascinated by the roofline of what turned out to be the museum … a series of Buddha statues situated on the stepped-pyramidal structure. Unfortunately, they were difficult to photograph because of the backlighting.

Wandering around the courtyard, we skipped the long line of devotees waiting to go into the chamber where the Buddha’s hair relic is on display. Instead, we went into the museum, filled with a treasure trove of artifacts ranging from statues of the Buddha and Hindu gods, to Dutch coins, jeweled trinkets, and other antiques.

As we were departing the temple, we noticed a line of people walking around a sacred Bodhi tree. This is a type of fig tree. Tradition has it that it was such a tree that gave the Buddha shade during his search for enlightenment. The original tree was in India, but a sapling was brought here during the time of Emperor Ashoka the Great. That sapling is believed to be the source of all other saplings that have been planted around the country, including the one that has resulted in the tree at Gangaramaya Temple. I decided to participate in the ceremonial walk around the tree … watering it with the cup of water I was handed when I joined the queue.

The clock tower — once the Colombo Fort Lighthouse, which dates back to 1857 — and the Galbokka Lighthouse were the last two stops we made on our way to the port. The lighthouse was built in 1952 after the Colombo Fort Lighthouse was deactivated because its light was being blocked by nearby buildings. The new structure sits on a concrete base that adds to its height and ensures that it will serve as a lighthouse without fear of being obscured.

We were back at our pick-up point at the port shortly after 3:00p. This time we managed to hop on the port shuttle bus to return to Insignia. A cold shower to revive us … a late lunch at the Waves Grill … and R&R until the ship set sail wrapped up our visit to Sri Lanka.

We now have two days at sea to recuperate after our recent spate of port calls in heat and humidity. Next up … back to India … but not to the mainland.Weiterlesen