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After four hours of bus journey through gradient hills, the bus from Colombo finally reached the town of Dambulla. The general landscape of Sri Lanka is not so unique from other parts of South Asia, bringing a nostalgic feeling to lovers of the Indian subcontinent. When my husband, Murali, and I waved good-by to the bus conductor, the sun was setting behind small tea shops and bakeries. Day was still long in early September, but an unexpected additional one hour journey delayed our arrival. Only the fusing of daylight with the moonlit darkness welcomed us. For a moment, we purposelessly stood in front of a stout clock tower that long ago stopped ticking. We had no reservation for or clue to find our first night's shelter in Sri Lanka. Feeling helpless and worried about the language barrier, we approached a shopkeeper. The tall and well-built man greeted us with a casual “Salaam.” After a few minutes of hand-gestured exchange, he called one of the boys congregating in front of his shop. The tuk tuk driver, who seemingly was too young for such occupation, agreed to take us to a nearby guesthouse. Down the street from the small market center, we found ourselves being dropped at Sunray Inn. The adolescent driver waited for us while we inspected the comfort of the room before throwing our worn-out legs on the bed. He was too shy and too hesitant to bargain for the fare and took only what we handed. After a quick dinner at the hotel, Murali and I walked around the Inn encircled by deep darkness. The place was covered with thick trees, with the sky hardly visible. The owner of the Inn noticed us outside and lit a hanging lamp. Just outside the dinning room was a large mango tree with its fruits all over the ground. Murali was too happy to find his favorite harvest. Small and green, they are rather good for spicy pickles, rather than eaten fresh. The owner was so delighted for rare guests who enthusiastically picked mangos off the ground under a small night lamp. He promised to pack us a bag full of mango for next morning before our departure. Early the following morning, we left the Inn for Dambulla cave temple, Raja Maha Viharaya, on foot. In Sri Lanka, most of the towns are small. Only one or two major roads run through the town connecting to rest of the country. Such major roads are named according to the next sizable town. Raja Maha Viharaya stands towards the end of Dambulla to Kandy road. Entrance to Raja Maha Viharaya can hardly be missed with a tall white Buddha statue accompanied by an office-like museum building. The famous cave actually is obscured by the modern construction of the museum with a large staircase leading to an automatic door. To actually reach the cave temple founded more than two thousand years ago, one must climb the sloping solid rock face that goes 350 feet above the village. The location of Dambulla is often referred as the geographical centre of the island. And the statement is not an exaggeration. The cave temple exists atop an isolated rock mass surrounded by a vast landscape. Reaching the top of the Dambulla rock, we could see the lush green forest spreading from sight in every direction. It gave us the illusionary feeling of boarding a giant rock boat floating on the green moist ocean. Entering through the temple gate, an archway projecting out of the massive rock comes first into view. A white corridor connects the whole complex containing numerous individual cave cells. Large doors that have withstood history invited us with open arms. Exquisite carvings of dark brown wood, worn smooth as silk from constant touch of visitors, are gradually fading into memory. Inside each cell is dark and has little artificial light. In our en route flight, we read in a guidebook that the temple has over 150 Buddha statues carved out of solid rocks and one of the cave cells contains more than 1500 paintings of Buddha covering the cave ceiling. In our attempt to count the exact number of Buddha figures, our attention was soon diverted to the vibrant colors of Buddah. The temple has had apparent renovations over the course of its history. The Buddha paintings covering the cave walls and ceilings are vivid. The ceiling of one cell is covered with painting of Buddha figures all seated in same manner. Everywhere we turned, Buddha was watching us. For a moment, we were mesmerized by the innumerable number of Buddha figures looking down on us from above. All with a gentle smile. We were meeting Buddha face to face. The cave was originally founded by King Walagamba in the first century BC. Escaping from a South Indian invasion, the king took refuge in the caves for 14 years. Upon his return to the throne in Anuradapura, he constructed this magnificent temple in thanksgiving. Today, local devotees bring fresh lotus flowers. White, pink and violet pedals decorate Buddha statues adding tints to his tender postures. It is to their love and admiration to the life of Buddha that people of Sri Lanka abide their daily lives. For us, it was clear that the generosity and kindness we have already encountered in the first day of our journey is rooted here as a way of life..
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