Kandy, the capital of the Kandy Kingdom (14th to early 19th century), hosts one of the most significant Buddhist temples, Sri Dalada Maligawa (established in the 15th century), where the relic of the tooth of Buddha is enshrined. The tooth was recovered, with some other relics, when Buddha was cremated back in Katmandu, and the history of how the tooth ended here is complex and full of chicanery. But here it is, and many are the faithful that come to the daily ceremony of exposing the relic to everyone's view (I bowed out, on the basis that this was a ceremony for the faithful and not for the occasional visitor).
I dutifully took off my shoes and walked barefoot through the grounds, to see very old images and some very new images with blinking neon lights. In the Temple of the Tooth there were lots of people, praying and waiting for the showing of the relic.
The temple is a museum of the bizarre and the unusual, which I augmented with a visit to the Museum of the Kandy Kingdom. The kingdom has its roots in the first century AD, but does not come to being until the 5th century, with evil king Srump, and as an organized polity in the 14th century. Then came the contact with the Portuguese and Dutch in the 16th century, the insertion of the British in the 18th century, and their final takeover in the early 19th century.
Full of dates and religious fervor I made it out of the temple and headed south, toward the highlands. This is the area where the famous Ceylon tea is grown, among waterfalls and imposing granite fields. Lore has it that an Englishman was starting a coffee plantation, and brought over a few plants of tea from India for his personal consumption. The coffee did great for a few years, but was then attacked by a pest that killed all the plants; the tea plants survived unscathed and a new industry was born. The high country is blanketed with tea plantations, and the big domains offer guided tours and tea tastings. They have created an amazing tableau by combining the spectacular scenery with the carefully manicured fields.
As I motored up the mountain, always higher and higher, I noticed the sky had turned menacing, the wind picked up significantly, and it started getting colder. Just as if the dementors had come into the land. And then, as if by magic, I noticed that the fuel gage had gone to almost empty! How could this have happened? I could swear I had a 3/4 tank when I left Kandy. The engine working against the steep slope must have consumed a lot of fuel. What to do now? I shifted to a more ginger style of driving, but the slope would never end. I need to get to the other side of the pass so I can coast down the slope. No luck. Finally I gathered the courage to ask for a place where I could find petrol, and I learnt that the nearest station was eight kilometers farther. "But the gage is flashing and I may not make it", I whined. My informer leaned over, saw the flashing gage, and laconically suggested "Ride gently".
The dark clouds were deepening and rain started to fall, but I stubbornly kept climbing, thinking the engine was going to die any time now, where the slope was too steep for me to push the bike further. Then the pass came and my spirits went up. I coasted as gently as I could, and by a miracle made it to the gas station! At the same time the clouds dissipated and the sun started shining. Is this a sign from Lord Buddha?
Past the summit I came into the town of Nuwara Eliya, which must have been a preferred recreation spot of the British Raj. It is a gorgeous place that reminds me of Lake Tahoe, albeit in a much reduced scale. This is where the Royal Turf Club was located, as well as the lake of the Royal Yacht Club. Tons of people were basking in the sun, and the slopes surrounding the lake are covered with condos and holiday houses. If I lived in Sri Lanka, this is where I would like my home to be.
I decided to stop early in the afternoon (the old bones are getting creaky) at a "home stay" overlooking one of the many beautiful rivers. It is basic but the scenery is out of this world!
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