Mulagandha Kuti Vihar

On arrival, we visited Mulagandha Kuti Vihar, a modern Buddhist temple and monastery built in 1931 by Anagarika Dharmapala of the Maha Bodhi Society. It commemorates the site where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon. It is known for its exquisite frescoes of Buddha's life by Japanese artist Kosetsu Nosu, a golden Buddha statue, and tranquil surroundings.

It was extremely hot this afternoon, so when we came out of the temple, we both needed a drink. We went to a nearby stall, bought a bottle of cold water, and asked if we could sit in the shade for five minutes. Chairs were immediately found. I left Fiona sitting there while I went to buy an ice-cream. When I rejoined her, the stallholder's 3-year old son had come home from school. I couldn't just sit there eating an ice-cream in front of him, so I asked his Dad if I could buy one for him. He said yes, so the little boy came with me to choose his ice-cream. His 4-year old brother then appeared. The delight on their faces when I bought them a Magnum each was unforgettable. Their smiles were so wide 😃. They thanked both Fiona and I by kneeling in front of us and touching our feet!

After our break, we wandered down the tree-lined avenue to the site of the Dhamekh Stupa. We bought sugar cane juice (Fiona) and freshly squeezed orange juice (me) on the way.Read more