I made a short visit to Kandy’s Royal Botanic Gardens in Peradeniya, which were nice to walk around (especially the orchid gardens). The place was full of young romance. It is kind of funny to watch young couples try to be affectionate until they notice you (or anyone else) and quickly stop all physical contact. Obviously, public displays of affection are taboo ’round these here parts!
Walk around the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya
Map of the route “Buddha’s Tooth”: 1,745 m, 36 m of climbing and 19 m of descent, elevation between 506 m and 522 m, time 00:37:36. It starts at 7.26933, 80.59407 and ends at 7.26828, 80.59658 (latitude, longitude).
The big visit of the day was a special temple in Kandy that houses one of Buddha’s teeth in a golden casket: the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. The place was a mob scene of Buddhists making a pilgrimage to pray and leave a special offering for the monks to deliver.
I did manage to catch a glimpse of the golden casket, which is opened once a year for a ceremony, but it reminded me of the time I saw the Mona Lisa in Paris at the Louvre and could only just glimpse it because of the sheer number of people there.
Many elderly and sick people in Sri Lanka clearly seem to have medical conditions which would likely be addressed in the West. Things like glaucoma, arthritis, hip and knee problems, etc. It would appear the fervour of religiousness may be a substitute for their ability to get medical care. So many people making these religious visits appear to be suffering from health problems, unfortunately.
