Travels in the Far East Part 8

NUWARA ELIYA: On Tuesday morning, January 28th, we left Colombo for the north. The mountain resort of Nuwara Eliya is a great boon even to the inhabitants of sea-swept Colombo; and it is also appreciated to its full by the tourist who has been surfeited with the close atmosphere of cities or grown tired of sea voyages. We had been told that the scenery combined the wildness of Switzerland with the peculiar charm of the Welsh mountains; hence we felt that a new experience awaited us. The railway ride there confirmed our first impression of Ceylon's fine growth of trees and shrubs, the road leading first through lowlands with endless cocoanut and other palms; while of all the blossom-laden trees the gold mohr, with its wealth of scarlet blossoms, surpa.s.ses every other. Later, rice-fields and tea plantations alternated, the latter even covering the sides of mountains. The scenery grew bolder as we went along, and at the Junction we took the narrow gauge for our mountain climb. This ascent was another triumph of engineering skill, winding around long and bold curves.

Nuwara Eliya is located sixty-two hundred feet above the sea, but, surrounded by mountains, the country has the appearance of being a valley. The Grand Hotel, in bungalow style, is prettily located in well laid-out grounds, with a fine view. In the morning we drove to Hakgalla Botanical Garden, and on our way there we saw a striking feature in great ma.s.ses of rhododendrons. The road to the gardens through an avenue of trees was inviting, and as we turned to the right we had a fine view of the west peak of the Hakgalla rock; pa.s.sing on up the drive, we saw a large lake, the banks of which were lined with ornamental trees. There is here a pleasing vista of flowering plants, tall palms, and varied trees; we examined an immense tea plant twelve feet in diameter, a fine clump of tree ferns, and a peculiar silver fern from New Zealand,--also a wax palm from New Granada, the leaves of which are covered with a wax substance from which good candles can be made; and a fernery with twenty-six thousand plants. There is also a flower garden, a house for the propagation of plants, and a laboratory for scientific research, besides many other interesting features in this truly complete garden.

We visited a tea factory, and an attendant showed us the entire process of preparation, even to the wrapping of the tea in packages. During the afternoon we drove to Ramboda Pa.s.s, six miles distant. From the top of the pa.s.s, six thousand feet high, there was a panoramic view of mountain scenery with the Katinale valley below and the gray-crested Peac.o.c.k Mountain as a centrepiece. Nuwara Eliya is a famed summer resort, with beautiful walks, tennis, cricket, and social clubs; the English Church is finely located, with the usual well-kept close.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _General view of Nuwara Eliya_]

KANDY, _January 30th_: We left Nuwara Eliya, on the morning of January 30th, for Kandy, arriving there at 2 P.M. The train pa.s.sed through a country similar to that before described, only there was a greater descent, Kandy having less alt.i.tude than Nuwara Eliya. We had antic.i.p.ated much of Kandy, Ceylon's ancient capital and the scene of action in the days of the old Kandyan kings. It is said that when Adam and Eve were banished from Paradise they repaired to Ceylon and located at Kandy, it being the nearest approach to Paradise. A few days' stay there sufficed to show us that the legend was partly justified.

The city is situated in a valley with stretches of mountains on either side, a lake nestling in the centre of the place and in the midst of a perfect wealth of trees. Nature seemed to challenge our admiration.

The afternoon drive to Peradeniya convinced us that the claim of one of the greatest botanical gardens in the world was well founded, for here we saw revelations in plants, shrubs, and trees, the new varieties of palms seeming wonderful. A talipot palm was in blossom, towering high to heaven, but we knew that its course was nearly ended, for when it attains about half a century of vitality it droops and dies; this seems a strange anomaly of Nature. Great groups of rubber trees (largely exported from Ceylon) and immense groups of tall bamboo trees were also in plenty.

Kandy, in the Eastern world, derives its greatest renown from being the home of Buddha's tooth, and the Temple of the Tooth attracts great crowds of pilgrims of the Buddhist faith from many lands. It is said to have been brought here in the sixteenth century, and the small temple in which it was then placed has been enlarged and made a shrine where costly gifts are laid by devotees from China, j.a.pan, the Malay Peninsula, Siam, and other remote points. Buddhism claims the larger portion of Ceylon's subjects, having in comparison with Hinduism a small following in India, where it originated. The tooth is said to be the left eye-tooth of Prince Siddhartha, taken from his ashes twenty-five centuries ago, but it is believed that the original tooth was burned by the Catholic Archbishop of Goa, Portugal, in 1650, and a spurious one subst.i.tuted. However, it is worshipped as the real one, and the morning following our arrival, we attended the 9.30 service at the temple, where a crowd was in attendance, seemingly enjoying the hideous music of the tom-toms and instruments of a similar Oriental character. The tooth is not shown except on rare occasions, but through a gla.s.s door we saw its jewelled casket and the table on which it rests.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _General view of Kandy_]

There were many offerings before this relic and before other images of Buddha which are to be found presiding over all temples. Much superst.i.tion was evident, but the sacrifices and practices that are to be seen in the Hindu temples are here wanting. It is a sad reflection, however, that Buddha's n.o.ble teachings could not have borne better fruit.

The library of the temple held many richly bound Buddhist books, written on leaves made from the talipot palm. The leaves bound together are long and narrow, and are held in place between heavy covers. The priests, as in Burma, wear a yellow silk robe draped like a Roman toga. They are seen everywhere, going about in the early morning with a begging bowl; they are ever courteous and apparently well bred. Cremation is practised, as with the Hindus, but the rites preceding it are far more imposing and cover days of peculiar ceremonies, while the Hindus practise almost immediate cremation. A visit to the Government art school and museum followed, and then a beautiful mountain drive where hill and valley alternated; the views were past description.

In the afternoon we were permitted the courtesy of a visit to the Governor's residence, the family being absent. The grounds were large and well laid out; the rooms s.p.a.cious and furnished with a view to comfort and to meet the requirements of the climate. We were interested in learning that the ex-Empress Eugenie and her suite were about to arrive to take up their residence for a time. A so-termed Lady Blake's drive followed. This was also largely a mountain ride with more fine views; but we surpa.s.sed ourselves on the following day in the tour we took, and our adjectives were soon exhausted; so it is natural that we should vote Ceylon the finest land we had thus far visited.

Sunday was pa.s.sed quietly; we attended a 6 A.M. service in the English Church, and saw a number of natives in attendance, ladies appearing in low dresses and with uncovered heads. They were richly clad; so it was evidently the custom, even though to us it seemed peculiar.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Entrance to the Botanical Gardens, Kandy_]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Temple of the Sacred Tooth in Kandy_]

ANURADHAPURA: Monday, February 3d, we left Kandy to visit Anuradhapura.

Before proceeding, it seems desirable to introduce an historical digression. The history of Ceylon is shrouded in mystery, but, from chronicles compiled by the early monks, a real foundation or beginning has been determined upon, proving that the Cingalese under Wigeyo invaded Ceylon in 543 B.C. and conquered the aborigines of the soil. It is deemed probable that they came from neighboring continents, and that their descendants possessed character and determination; that they were builders is shown by the erection of splendid edifices at an early date, and after the arrival of the royal Buddhist missionary, Mahindo (son of an Indian king), 306 B.C., fine dagobas and monasteries were added, each successive ruler seeming ambitious to excel his predecessor.

Anuradhapura was the first capital, but owing to many vicissitudes and several invasions of the Malabars of Southern India, the capital was moved many times, Kandy being the sixth; it preceded Cotta, near Colombo, the latter being the present capital. In 1532, on the landing of the Portuguese at Colombo, the last blow was struck, and soon the great cities of the Empire were deserted and left in the hands of foreigners. The best dagobas were crumbling, immense tanks broken, and general devastation succeeded where splendor had long reigned. The annals of these centuries, the recital of the achievements and the failures of the various rulers, read like a romance, and it seems sad that a people thus endowed could not have retained their character and independence, although under English rule the island seems prosperous.

The first mention of Kandy is at the beginning of the fourteenth century, when a temple was built to receive the sacred tooth and other ruins, the possession of which made it an important centre of the Buddhist religion and eventually a royal residence; it became the capital of the island in 1592. From that time until the final establishment of the English rule in 1803, it was repeatedly captured and burned by the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the English; it consequently presents no architectural monuments nor any pretension to antiquity.

But it has a better claim to the remembrance of posterity in the fact that for three hundred years it was the centre of the national movement to resist the aggressions of the foreigner. After the British occupation the King was allowed some authority, but owing to certain indignities offered to English subjects, war was declared in 1815, the King taken prisoner and transported to India, where he died in 1832. Ceylon has since been an English colony. The Kandyans are brave and fearless in appearance; they never wear the Cingalese comb, as this is a badge of the low country. The women dress differently from those in India.

The city presents a wide field of interest for the archaeologist, and incidentally for the tourist. We were to have a new experience here, as we were to be housed in a "rest house," the term applied to a Government semi-hotel, usually of a simple description, but serving as a great convenience to Government officials in the many places throughout the English islands where there are no hotels. We found the one at Anuradhapura prettily located in a setting of green, with a garden in front. The present little town has a population of about three thousand, and is the capital of the north central province of Ceylon.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Ruins of Anuradhapura_]

The tour of the ruins is divided into a consideration of the outer and inner circles, each comprising a drive of several miles. On the afternoon of our arrival we took the outer circle and went past towering ruined temples called dagobas, remains of palaces once s.p.a.cious and imposing, long rows of stately columns covering a wide s.p.a.ce, ruined towers, statues, some headless and some showing traces of their former skill, immense tanks, and remains of buildings of many descriptions which are awaiting the patient investigation of the archaeologist. Much in this line has already been done, and active work is now being carried forward on some of the dagobas, the contribution of Buddhistic pilgrims who come from far and near largely aiding the cause. There is also a local archaeological society which seeks to systematize the effort.

The ride to the inner circle and the more distant points consumed another four hours, and an eight-mile excursion will later be alluded to. The special objects of interest may be mentioned, with an indication of what the ruins represent, as they may have general value. The sacred road is a feature of the place, for it is the pathway the pilgrims have trod for over two thousand years. The Thuparama is the oldest and most venerated of all the dagobas. The largest one is the Jaytawanarama, built about the close of the third century A.D. by King Mahicena. The height, including the pedestal, is two hundred and forty-nine feet, and its diameter three hundred and sixty feet; moreover, the contents of the dome of brickwork and the platform on which it stands are said to contain twenty million cubic feet. It is also stated that, with the facilities which modern inventions supply for economizing labor, the building of such a structure at present would take five hundred bricklayers from six to seven years, and would involve an expenditure of at least $5,000,000. Only the glory of the old outline is now left, and its four chapels have crumbled almost past recognition.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Near the Sacred Road, Thuparama Dagoba_]

Of interest is the Isurumuniya Temple, constructed by King Dewenipiatissa, 300 B.C. The temple is carved out, and circles around a formation of natural rock; its shrine is approached by two terraces, the steps being in a state of fine preservation. The outer wall of the upper terrace is ornamented with a remarkable series of seventeen mural frescos in low relief, the subjects being grotesque, and there is a large tablet on the south wall consisting of a group of three women, a man, and attendants. Close to the entrance of the shrine is a large sitting figure holding a horse, and carved out of the face of the rock are the heads of four elephants in low relief. The stone doorway is a fine specimen of carving, and the pillars which support the porch in front of it are beautifully proportioned. The temple has been restored.

A priest's dwelling-house is near, and the priest was officiating at the shrine at the time of my visit. I was alone; he signified that I was to keep silent, and then offered up a prayer to Buddha in my behalf, for which I was doubtless expected to deposit a coin in a contribution box.

As I did not disappoint the expectant priest, he courteously presented me with his card, and this is the name inscribed thereon: "Sangharakkhita Mahathera, the High Priest of the Isurumuni Vihara."

Another interesting dagoba with a most unp.r.o.nounceable name is now being restored through the pious contributions of pilgrims. The present height is one hundred and fifty feet, with a diameter of three hundred and seventy-nine feet. It was originally surrounded by two large paved platforms, the inner one being raised above the other. Around the outer wall there was originally a complete circle of elephants, each elephant being furnished with tusks of real ivory. The Moonstone Steps are finely preserved. There is still a striking frieze of lions running along the upper border of the platform, and around the base of the dagoba are five large upright statues and a small sitting one, the tallest said to be that of King Dutugemuna.

There are wonderful tales told of miraculous work done through the celebrated bo-tree, a branch of the oldest historical tree in the world.

It was planted two hundred and forty-five years before Christ, and its story has been handed down in a continuous series of authentic chronicles. This is believed by Buddhists to be a branch of the sacred bo-tree in Buddh Gaya, India, under which Prince Siddhartha sat on the day he attained Buddha-hood, this branch having been sent from India; it has been sacredly treated, enriched with stone carvings and braces, and honored with magnificent ceremonies by repeated dynasties; it has also been spared during the successive invasions of the land. The Chinese traveller and author, Fahiam, visited it in the fifth century, and has left an authentic record of it as well as of some buildings in this ruined city. There are fine columns and many remains of the King's palace still standing; in addition to which, the monasteries and tanks all show artistic skill.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _The Moonstone Steps_]

Perhaps a clearer idea of the former splendor may be had by a brief recital of what chroniclers and archaeologists prove to have been the plan of the Buddhist Brazen Temple, now a collection of sixteen hundred monolithic granite pillars, standing twelve feet from the ground and arranged in lines of forty each way; they cover a s.p.a.ce measuring two hundred and thirty-one feet north to south and two hundred and thirty-two feet east to west. This formed the foundation of the great Brazen Temple, erected by King Dutugemuna in the second century B.C.

These columns supported the building, nine stories in height, and containing one thousand dormitories for priests. The roof was of sheet copper, and the walls were embellished with beads which shone resplendent like gems. The great hall was supported on golden pillars resting on lions, and in the centre was an ivory throne with a golden sun and silver moon on either side, while above it glittered Imperial Chinta, the white canopy of dominion. It was destroyed, then rebuilt, and the second restoration occurred in the twelfth century, thus showing the vicissitudes which this and other ruins have pa.s.sed through.

The excursion to Mihintale, eight miles distant, was made alone with a guide, at six in the morning, the other members of the party preferring another excursion. The drive was mostly through what was termed a jungle, meaning a roadway cut through the forest and left in its natural state; hence there was a tangle of vines and underbrush, and the effect was very fine with the great variety which the tropical vegetation affords. Reaching our destination, we left the carriage for a walk of three quarters of a mile through a forest to the base of a mountain from which ascends eighteen hundred and sixty-four wide marble steps, divided into four flights, with a landing for each, paths leading to the left or right of the landings to some object of interest.

The stairs were not difficult but rather continuous, as we found before we reached the top. In the middle of the last flight was a narrow path leading to the snakes' bathing-place; this is formed out of solid rock and measures about one hundred and thirty feet in length. At the back the five-headed cobra has been carved in high relief; it is seven feet high and is represented as rising from the water. The sanct.i.ty of the mountain-top in the eyes of Buddhists is said to be due to the fact that on the summit alighted the royal missionary, Mahahindo, when he came from India, 307 B.C.; he there met the King, who was out hunting, and having listened to a discourse, the King became an ardent Buddhist, a fact which later resulted in the conversion of forty thousand of his followers.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Mihitale Steps_]

CEYLON: The Ambustala dagoba now marks the spot of the meeting. It is built of stone, the terrace around it consisting of numerous columns.

There are ruined statues, columns, and carved capitals scattered about, showing that formerly this was the basis for a group of buildings. There are also oblong cuttings in the rock, supposed to be the foundation of cave dwellings never completed. One more flight of stairs leads up to the gallery, surrounding the Mahaseya dagoba. The view from this highest gallery is magnificent; the great plain gave a wide vista, while beyond was an outline of the distant mountain range; nearer we saw great ma.s.ses of green, through which shone the three great dagobas of Anuradhapura.

Before leaving the summit we held a conversation with the aged priest through an interpreter, and, retracing our steps, drove to the rest house for a ten-o'clock breakfast made up of coffee and rolls; then, returning to our temporary home in Anuradhapura, we p.r.o.nounced the morning's excursion a success.

In the afternoon we took a drive with a guide through the inner circle, when there occurred the incident with the priest previously related.

At 6 A.M. the following day, we returned to Colombo, and again enjoyed the tropical vegetation, the views of mountain and valley, of rice and tea plantations, and the glimpse of native life which the short stay at stations afforded. Time thus pa.s.sed in the mountains and country of Ceylon is indeed fraught with delight. We had an object lesson in the habits and customs of the so-called hill-country, Kandy furnishing many marked examples; there was particularly the large two-wheeled cart with oxen as propelling power. We were also interested in the Rodiyas, living in the outskirts, a people oppressed on account of a curse p.r.o.nounced by a king many years ago, one of the conditions being the prohibition of clothes above the waist, both for men and women. The latter are noted for their beauty, and excel as singers and dancers, but they suffer under the stigma of immodesty for the reason given above.

Three restful days followed; the hotel wore a homelike air, and the time was full of content and quiet enjoyment. Ceylon fascinated me from the first, and after the trip to the mountains and a more perfect realization of the natural advantages of the island, the impression deepened.

The native people also struck me as being cheerful, but with more strength of character than the Burmese, and possessing a certain kind of dignity that was pleasing. The bazars too were found unusually interesting on a closer inspection, and offered many new and novel articles.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Street scene in Kandy, Ceylon_]

While there were carriage drives, this was our first introduction to the jinrikishas, and we found them most convenient and a novelty; only there was an uncomfortable feeling that the jinrikisha man in Ceylon was too slight for his occupation.

The street scenes presented almost as cosmopolitan an aspect as those at Rangoon, and with quite as varied a mixture of nationality.

There was a notable carriage drive of eight miles to Mt. Lavinia, a seaside resort with only a hotel perched on a hill, while below on the sandy beach were many fishing-boats. Here we whiled away an hour, and had afternoon tea.

On Sat.u.r.day evening, February 8th, we bade adieu to Ceylon, taking pa.s.sage on the steamer _Delhi_ of the P. & O. line, which was to be our home until the 14th. We were a.s.signed pleasant rooms, and the general environment was agreeable. There was little of incident on the trip until we landed at Penang, Malay peninsula, on the morning of the 13th.