Andrew's Travels

Andrew's Travels

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Cambridgeshire; Cambridge City Resenär
Chisholm Trail, Phase 1
23 maj 2023, England ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
The Chisholm Trail is a walking and cycling route which will link the business and science parks via Cambridge North railway station to Addenbrooke's Hospital, the Biomedical Campus and the proposed Cambridge South railway station; it will also connect with the Guided Busway to St Ives, Cambs and the National Cycle Network. Phase 1 was opened in December 2021 and covers the area from Cambridge North Station to Coldham's Lane; Phase 2 will connect to phase 1 at Coldham’s Common on Coldham’s Lane.

We start at Cambridge North railway station; the aluminium roof cladding has a mathematical design derived from the Game of Life 'cellular automaton‘ and outside it is a 2021 statue depicting the Greco-Roman deities Hercules and Galatea where the man looks "rigid and dated" and the woman appears “strong, dynamic and empowered"..... We walk down to the river and cross the new Abbey Chesterton bridge for bicycles and pedestrians across the River Cam, installed in November 2020, before crossing Ditton Meadows towards Newmarket Road via properly surfaced paths. We reach the 12th century Leper Chapel, part of the buildings of a leper hospital that stood a little beyond the outskirts of the city on the road to Bury St Edmunds.

We are now able to cross Newmarket road via the new The Newmarket Road underpass, an important link in the Chisholm Trail, that reopened in 2022 with proper artwork to replace the graffiti and "street-art" that was there previously. On the other side is Coldham's Common and a proper view of Barnwell Lake - previously, it could only be glanced through trees. The Chisholm Trail crosses the common outside the Abbey Stadium, home of Cambridge United, before reaching Cromwell Road.

Phase 2 of the Chisholm Trail will connect here, providing a route through the city via Cambridge main railway station to the south of the city on both sides of the railway track. Watch this space.........Läs mer
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1 gilla
London - across by canal paths Resenär
Grand Union Canal 2; Paddington Arm
10 maj 2023, England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
The Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal is 13.5-miles long, lock free, and runs from Bull's Bridge in Hayes to Paddington in central London; its only junction is with the Regent's Canal at Little Venice towards its end. The Paddington Arm was opened in July 1801 to give boats access to central London rather than via the River Thames and encouraged the establishment of many well-known firms along its route.

From Bull's Bridge, the canal towpath is shared with the Hillingdon Trail for the first couple of miles as it passes through Southall to Northolt; Northolt is the home for Engineer’s Wharf with its pricey moorings and adjacent Grand Union Village, which was built on the site of an old brick works. The route passes through a long stretch of open countryside as it goes through Horsenden and Alperton - Greenford, Perivale, and Ealing are a little further south. A large aqueduct takes the canal over the busy North Circular road (A406) before we pass through an area where Wormwood Scrubs open space is on our right and then the huge Kensal Green cemetery, resting place of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, is on our left.

We pass the outskirts of North Kensington and Maida Vale; Trellick Tower, a Grade II listed tower block on the Cheltenham Estate in North Kensington with a separate access tower and abutting plant house, is an example of the so-called "Brutalist architecture" of the 1960s. We are getting close to Paddington now and finally reach Little Venice - it has been a long day, an almost 21-mile walk (along the flat).Läs mer
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Wolfgang und Heidican‘t wait to go on a narrow boat again ((Heidi)
2023-05-20SvaraÖversätt
1 gilla
London - across by canal paths Resenär
Grand Union Canal 1; Slough Arm
10 maj 2023, England ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
The Grand Union Canal is the principal navigable waterway between London (River Thames) and the Midlands (Birmingham and Leicester); it has six main branches, usually termed 'arms', and heading north from the Thames these are (in order) -

Paddington Arm / Slough Arm / Wendover Arm / Aylesbury Arm / Northampton Arm / Saltisford Canal Arm, Warwick.

Since this trip runs across London from west to east, we start in Slough at the Slough Arm.

The Slough Arm is a short 5 mile canal branch from Slough to the Grand Union Main Line, and was originally opened to serve the brick-making industry (the last commercial traffic was carried in 1960, but it was re-opened in 1975 and has remained in use since). Anthony and I start at the Wexham Road Bridge (number 12); there are some business units and rural developments near the canal along the outskirts of Slough, but it is still pleasant walking, especially as we reach and pass through the Colne Valley Regional Park. After passing under the M25 London Orbital Motorway to enter what is now known as Greater London (formerly Middlesex), we cross three rivers via aqueducts- Colne Brook, River Colne and Frays River, seeing pill boxes that used to guard them. We reach the Packet Boat Marina (a packet boat used to carry passengers from here to Paddington) and then the junction with the Grand Union Canal at Cowley Peachey, crossing over it by a roving bridge to the tow path on the east side of the canal.

We walk along the Grand Union Canal, passing through the West London areas of West Drayton and Hayes; it is more built up here, but still good walking. After about 1.5 miles, we reach the outskirts of Hayes and the junction with the Paddington Arm at Bull's Bridge. From here, we turn east towards Paddington and Central London.Läs mer
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1 gilla
Cambridgeshire; South District Resenär
Wimpole Estate
25 april 2023, England ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C
We have recently joined the National Trust and our first use of our passes is to a locally owned NT property; the Wimpole Estate, comprising a listed 17th century Georgian mansion (Wimpole Hall) with its associated gardens, parkland and working farm (Home Farm).

We visit Wimpole Hall first and are able to see part of the interior (see picture captions). We then look round the gardens; these include a formal grand avenue which heads south (and is visible from the top of Royston Heath, several miles away), whereas the parkland on the north side and behind the house were "naturalised" (by Capability Brown). Here, we walk north towards Wimpole's Folly (a false Gothic Tower, 1768) and loop back via part of the multi-user trail to see other estate buildings - St Andrew's Church and the stable block. We then look around the Walled Garden and Home Farm (home to rare breeds, including Shire horses, pigs, sheep, cows, and goats).

The Wimpole Estate is a lovely place to visit, walk, and explore during different times of the year - we'll be back.Läs mer
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1 gilla
Hertfordshire Resenär
Baldock
24 april 2023, England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
Baldock is a historic market town in Hertfordshire less than 10 miles southwest of Royston; it has an association with the Knioghts Templar, is mostly Georgian, and also has an exceptionally rich archaeological heritage. Malting and brewing were formerly major industries in the town, but today, it is mostly a commuter town.

The majority of the interesting buildings are near to, or along, the High Street; we start at the War Memorial and see some of them (see captions on pictures). After a slight diversion to walk along a street where there were originally roman buildings (The Twitchell) and an area where there was an Iron Age burial site (The Tene), we double back to see the Tesco supermarket (originally a film processing laboratory) before walking along what was the southern edge of the Medieval New Town (South Road).

We turn into Clothall Road and soon cross over to a footpath over a field towards Clothall Common; this field is where the Iron Age and Roman towns and several burial sites have been found. We then head back into town along Royston Road; Raban House is at the junction with Whitehorse Street. Then it's along Sun Street to St Mary's Church and back to the War Memorial to complete this short tour of Georgian and Ancient BaldockLäs mer
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Sri Lanka Resenär
Colombo 2; Fort and Galle Face Green
8 april 2023, Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C
Our hotel is in Fort, now the central business district of Colombo. There was a fort here, but the walls were demolished between 1869 and 1871 as the fort was obsolete and room was needed for new military barracks and urban development.

There is still a strong colonial feel to the area, and we start our walk at the Colombo Clock Tower (1857), also known as the Old Colombo Lighthouse; it is no longer the tallest building in Colombo. We see the Cargills Department Store, the Grand Oriental Hotel (GOH), the Dutch Hospital (actually in front of our hotel) and Fort railway station, still a major rail hub in Colombo. Then it is past the old Parliament building (where the Presidential Secretariat is located). There is a good view of the iconic Lotus Tower and Beira Lake from near here.

We then walk down the Galle Face Green, on the south side of Fort; it used to be much larger and it was used for horse racing, golf, rugby and cricket (not all at the same time!) - it is now a popular destination for locals. At the southern tip of the green is the Galle Face Hotel; founded in 1864, it is one of the oldest hotels east of Suez.

It has been a fantastic trip to Sri Lanka.Läs mer
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1 gilla
Sri Lanka Resenär
Colombo 1; Central and Pettah
8 april 2023, Sri Lanka
Colombo is the commercial centre of Sri Lanka, owing to its natural harbour. It reached prominence when the Portuguese invaded Sri Lanka in 1517, building a large fort here (it no longer exists now). The Dutch took control of the island in 1656 and ruled for 150 years before the British captured it in 1796; Colombo became the capital of Ceylon in 1815. The Civil War from 1983 - 2009 between the Tamil Tigers (who migrated here during British role) and the native Sinhalese caused a lot of destruction in the city, and it is being rebuilt in parts.

After a 2 hour journey from Koggala, our coach takes us through the Central area where we visit the Independance Memorial Hall and drive past the Vihara Mahadevi Park (formerly Victoria Park) to reach the Gangaramaya Temple; this is one of the most important temples in Colombo, and is an eclectic mix of Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian, and Chinese architecture and includes a museum, a library, a residential hall and a three storeyed Pirivena. Located on the Beira Lake, it was completed in the late 19th century and is now a place of Buddhist worship and a learning centre.

We reach Pettah and enjoy walking around what is the chaotic market / bazaar neighbourhood of Colombo (see captions on photos).Läs mer
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Sri Lanka Resenär
Koggala and local area
7 april 2023, Sri Lanka ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
After the whale watching and a swim in the sea, it is time to have a beach walk; there are beautiful views on the way to the Koggala Lagoon.

Back to the hotel for a break and the next excursion, which, by coincidence, turns out to be where from where my walk ended!

Our Koggala Lake Safari takes us round part of the lagoon, where there are 8 islands surrounded by lush mangroves, a haven for wildlife. We visit a monastery as well as Cinnamon Island, where we see how cinnamon is obtained from the trees.

Back on the beach area near Weligama, we see stilt fishermen; the stilts are carved with notches to help them climb to the crossbar, where they balance as they fish.Läs mer
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1 gilla
Sri Lanka Resenär
1
Mirissa; whale watching
7 april 2023, Sri Lanka ⋅ 🌙 25 °C
We are up early to go on the optional whale watching tour from Mirissa (the whale watching capital of Sri Lanka). The unspoilt town also features a very pretty harbour and beach.

We spend about 4 hours on the sea and spot Bryde whales and Spinner dolphins on several different occasions. A wonderful experience.

Then it's back to the hotel in Koggala for some RnR.Läs mer
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Wolfgang und Heidi 😯
2023-04-10Svara
1 gilla
Sri Lanka Resenär
Galle
6 april 2023, Sri Lanka ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
We leave the Lowland region and head to the South Coast region of Sri Lanka, an area that is firmly on the tourist trail for visitors to the island

We visit Galle, the most important town of the South Coast. It is a perfectly preserved colonial town featuring an old Dutch quarter within a fort (Galle Fort) and a sprawling New Town outside it. We walk around the fort ramparts swing the various bastions (about 2 miles) with forays into the old town to see the buildings just below the ramparts (see captions on pictures).

A beautiful place.Läs mer
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1 gilla
Sri Lanka Resenär
Uda Walawe National Park and River Camp
5 april 2023, Sri Lanka
Uda Walawe National Park was established in 1972 and is now one of Sri Lanka's most popular parks, with a spread of 300 sq km, providing a catchment area around an enormous reservoir.

We start our visit at the Elephant Transit Home, better known as the Elephant Orphanage; orphaned elephants are raised here until they are 4-5 years old and released into the wild. Feeding time is every 3 hours and can be watched from a viewing platform.

We enjoy a Jeep safari around part of the park before going to Athgira River Camp to stay in a jungle lodge next to the Rajwana River.Läs mer
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1 gilla
Sri Lanka Resenär
Ella to Uda Walawe
5 april 2023, Sri Lanka ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Ella is one of Hill Country's most popular destinations and is perched above the Ella Gap, a cleft in the escarpment where the land drops 1,100m to the plains below (it is possible to walk up to the Gap for the view).

We stop at Ella Ravana Falls (90m high) and then reach Buduruvagala; this boasts 7 colossal Buddha statues dating from the 10th century.

We descend to the lowlands below and note the very different landscape and vegetable produce before arriving on the outskirts of Uda Walawe National Park.Läs mer
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Sri Lanka Resenär
Nanu Oya to Demodora by train
4 april 2023, Sri Lanka ⋅ 🌧 23 °C
There is no train station at Ella, so we go to the nearby town of Nanu Oya to meet the train (which comes down from Kandy).

It is a very pretty route passing through lovely scenery. We pass through our final destination, Ella, so that we can go over the Demodora Bridge (Nine Arch Bridge); this was built in the 1920s to take the railway line north of Ella.

We are met at Demodora Station and taken back to Ella and our hotel. Dinner is at the Cafe Chill Restaurant; Ella is popular with young travellers, and there are many dining places.Läs mer
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1 gilla
Sri Lanka Resenär
Nuwara Eliya
4 april 2023, Sri Lanka
The surrounding scenery and climate impressed the early British settlers after the heat and dust of Colombo, and Sir Edward Barnes, a former governor here, established his up-country retreat here as a bungalow in 1828 at what is now the Grand Hotel.

It is a popular town, and we start our walk at the pink colonial era Post Office before heading through the covered Central Market. Then it is back to the town centre via the pretty Victoria Park. We walk by the new Bazaar to the Clock Tower and then past the Golf Club up to the Grand Hotel; we go in and are given a short tour downstairs. From the bungalow mentioned earlier, this is now a beautiful five-star hotel (costing 55,000 Rupees per night).

The next stop is the train station....Läs mer
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Sri Lanka Resenär
En route to Nuwara Eliya
3 april 2023, Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
There are great views of tea plantations and tea pickers (always women) as we head to Nuwara Eliya. We stop for lunch at Tea Castle St. Clair on the way to our hotel; lunch is good, and there is a pretty waterfall nearby.

Nuwara Eliya is referred to as "Little England" due to its cool and unpredictable climate. The Blackpool Hotel is located in the hills around Nuwara Eliya at 1,876m on the Pedro Tea Estate and is new but built in colonial style. It is a beautiful area and a lovely hotel.Läs mer
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1 gilla
Sri Lanka Resenär
Adam's Peak; Ascent, Sunrise, Descent
3 april 2023, Sri Lanka ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Adam's Peak (Sri Pada) is 2,243m high and makes for dramatic scenery. There is said to be a footprint of the Buddha at the top, left during one of his three visits to Sri Lanka. Pilgrims and tourists make the arduous climb by night during the pilgrimage season (Dec to May) to see it and the sun rising at dawn.

We are up in time for a 1:30 am departure and make the 7km ascent via 5,500 steps. It takes us at least 4 hours and is hard work. It's worth it to see the sun rise; the footprint is covered, and several metres below the place you "see" it, and no photographs in the shrine area are allowed. It was a fantastic and tiring experience with excellent views on the way down.Läs mer
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ResenärOur actual ascent was almost 1000m. Hard work but some Sri Lankans made it barefoot or wearing flip flops and carrying a child!
2023-04-13SvaraÖversätt
1 gilla
Sri Lanka Resenär
En route to Dalhousie
2 april 2023, Sri Lanka
From Kandy, we leave the Cultural Triangle and head to the Hill Country; this is a higher and cooler area where tea plantations stretch over rolling hills, and there are many tea factories. It was the British who spotted the potential here and helped transform Sri Lanka into the fourth largest tea producer in the world.

Leaving Kandy, we visit a batik factory first and then drive to the Hill Country to visit a tea factory. It was interesting to see and hear about the stages in tea production (see image captions).

We then drive through the beautiful countryside to Dalhousie (known also by its Tamil name of Nallatanniya), a popular starting place to climb Adam's Peak. It's an early start tomorrow, so it's an early meal and an early night.Läs mer
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Ant TravelsMy mother lived near Adam’s peak - Nillomally area
2023-04-03SvaraÖversätt
ResenärYou visited this area then, a few years ago. Lovely part of the world.
2023-04-03SvaraÖversätt
2 gilla-markeringar
Sri Lanka Resenär
Kandy 3; Kandyan Dancing Cultural Show
1 april 2023, Sri Lanka ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
We actually visited this the evening before, but it is convenient to describe it at the end of the Kandy posts.

After a traditional welcome by the blowing of a conch shell and ceremonial drumming, the show starts and runs through several traditional dances (see captions on images); it finished with a display of fire walking outside the hall.

It's great to see traditional Sri Lankan folk dancing, especially as I am a traditional English folk dancer myself (a Morris dancer).Läs mer
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Sri Lanka Resenär
Kandy 2; Tooth Temple and Botanic Garden
1 april 2023, Sri Lanka ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
The Temple of the Tooth (Dalada Maligawa) is the most important Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka as it is home to one of Buddhism's most sacred objects - the Tooth Relic. Legend has it that it was retrieved after the Buddha's cremation; it has been moved around Sri Lanka, but it has been kept in Kandy since 1592.

It is to be found in a room above the main shrine, and the golden container that holds it can be seen three times per day as the doors are opened during the ceremonial puja. After seeing the main shrine and attending a puja, we visit The New Shrine Room, Museum, Audience Hall, Raha Tusker Museum (a stuffed elephant) and the Kings Palace, before leaving the complex.

We visit a jewellery factory on our way to the Royal Botanic Gardens; they are the largest and finest in the country and very beautiful.Läs mer
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1 gilla
Sri Lanka Resenär
Kandy 1; Market, Town and Lake
1 april 2023, Sri Lanka ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Kandy has a long history of political independence and was the seat of the last Sinhalese government until it succumbed to the British in 1815. Kandy is a cultural centre, and the arts and crafts capital of the island; it is also home to its most revered Buddhist temple, its most sacred relic, and has a tradition of dancing and drumming.

We start at the Clock Tower and visit the markets opposite it (on both sides of the road) before walking back to the lake. We pass the magnificent Queen's Hotel and visit St Paul's Church; this is close to three of Kandy's four devales - each of the four Guardian Gods for Kandy has a devale (temple) devoted to it and we visit the Pattini Devale (Goddess of Chastity).

We then walk around the lake, enjoying great views; the lake was created in the 19th century, and this very popular stroll is about 3km in length.Läs mer
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1 gilla
Sri Lanka Resenär
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Sigiriya (Lion Rock)
31 mars 2023, Sri Lanka ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
Sigiriya (Lion Rock) is another UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the ancient Citadel of Sigiriya sat atop a giant gneiss Rock 200m above the plains below.

Monks lived at the base in the third century BC, but King Kassapa put it on the map in the fifth century AD when he chose the summit for his new Royal Palace, complete with gardens and pools. The Rock was transformed into a recumbent Lion, of which only the paws remain today; unfortunately, his reign lasted just 18 years. The ruins were discovered by British archaeologists in the 20th century.

The Lion Rock is accessed via the Water Gardens and Boulder Gardens, and the way up is via the Lion Platform. At the summit, there are the remains of the Palace and magnificent views of the countryside.

On the way down, we pass the highly polished Mirror Wall covered with ancient graffiti and the celebrated Sigiriya Damsels; this is a mural of beautiful, bare chested women (no photographs allowed). Further down, we pass the Audience Hall Rock and the Cobra Hood Cave before getting back to the Lion Platform.Läs mer
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Wolfgang und Heidi 😮
2023-04-02Svara
1 gilla
Sri Lanka Resenär
Sirigiya Village Safari
30 mars 2023, Sri Lanka ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C
After lunch, we arrived in Sigiriya and went on a tour of the village and local area by various means of transport; these were by a small tractor engine, boat and tuk-tuk.

There were some great views, and we enjoyed a visit to a house for a demonstration food preparation using local products (coconut, rice, vegetables, etc).Läs mer
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1 gilla
Sri Lanka Resenär
Polonnaruwa
30 mars 2023, Sri Lanka ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
Polonnaruwa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was the second capital city in Sri Lanka; this was over the 11th -13th centuries, a period of flowering for Buddhist arts and architecture. It was abandoned in 1293 and excavated in the 20th century; many of the spectacular buildings and monuments still remain.

We start start at the statue of King Parakramabahu I and move to his Royal Pakace and Council Chamber. The heart of the city is the Dalada Maluwa (Terrace of the Tooth Relic), popularly known as the Quadrangle. We see the buildings here (captions on pictures) and move north to see the to see the 12th century Rankot Vihara (Golden Pinnacle). Then it's the Gal Vihara rock sculptures, four Buddha statues hewn out of the Rock face.

Another amazing citadel.Läs mer
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1 gilla
Sri Lanka Resenär
Hurulu Eco-park
29 mars 2023, Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C
After leaving the Dambulla Caves Complex, we stop off for an excellent Sri Lankan buffet lunch.

We then head to Hurulu to go on a Jeep safari in the eco-park, which is part of the Hurulu Forest Reserve and an important habitat for the Sri Lanka elephant.....Läs mer
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Sri Lanka Resenär
Aukana Buddha and Dambulla Cave Temples
29 mars 2023, Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
We stop off at the Standing Buddha of Aukana on our way to Dambulla; the statue is 13m rmtall, perfectly preserved, and was built in the 5th century BC.

The Dambulla Caves are 1st century Buddhist Cave Temples built into the Dambulla rock and characterised by a granite overhang. They were built originally by King Valagambaku I in gratitude for regaining his throne and repaired and embellished in the 17th - 18th centuries when the murals and statues were added.Läs mer
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1 gilla
Sri Lanka Resenär
Mihintale
28 mars 2023, Sri Lanka ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C
Mihintale is revered as the birthplace of Buddhism in Sri Lanka as it is here where the monk Mahinda (the son of Asoka) met King Devanampiyatissa in 247 BC and introduced the religion to the country.

We start at the second flight of steps, where the Dhatu Ghara relic house and the Mihintale Tablets are located; the tablets describe the rules and regulations for life as a monk. We continue up to the Ambasthala Dagoba (Mango Tree Stupa), which was the actual meeting place between them). Then it's up to see the Buddha statue and down again to cross over to ascend the Arahadana Gala, where there are great views of the whole area.

Down again to then climb the main stupa here , the Mahaseya Dagoba; this houses a single hair relic of the Buddha.

Another interesting excursion.Läs mer
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