Reimagining History and Identity - Abhishekh’s Sri Lanka Trip Review
History only remembers the winners, and winners are decided by power.
So if a black sheep wants his name featured in the books, he has to reach his true potential.
In Ramayana, Ram represents the Good and Ravana represents the Evil. Lord Rama had his bow and his army of thousands, and Ravana had his intelligence. There was not much difference between them, but the game of Karma fell heavily on both.
While Ram lost Sita, Ravana lost his empire and power.
And interestingly, each of them is worshipped in their home ground.
Iconic.
But what gets lost in this translation, is that they both fought in Grey, there was no good or bad, there were just the consequences of their deeds.
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Hi, I am Abhishekh, and I took a trip to Sri Lanka with my partner. It was my first trip with him, and we chose this particular destination because we wanted to explore the other side of the coin, the other side of Ramayana.
Saving the Tears for Another Day
To start with the best, we had a fantastic time at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. We saw the elephants relish in the green meadows of Kandy, take a bath lying on the rivers, break bananas from the trees and gulp it all together. We saw them as delightful beasts aptly called the engineers of the forest…if we saw what we thought we saw, a wink and a smile.
We felt wonderful, with such natural beauty around and with such amazing stays offered by Thrillophilia, our days in Sri Lanka were proving to be one of the best in our entire life! And to spend them with my friend, lovely!
He and I both had a certain notion that this trip might turn out to be a blessing for us.
When came the highlight of our journey- the Ambuluwawa Tower- we were thrilled. It is not just a marvellous piece of architecture, but it is also a very significant building in the heart of Sri Lanka.
When we visited here, we did not know that it is the first multi-religious structure in Sri Lanka that features a temple, a kovil, a mosque, and a church. The concept really got to us, and we were quite intrigued to explore the place thoroughly, and then climb up its spiral staircase all the way to the top of the building and catch some spectacular views of the surroundings. The climb seemed thrilling and interesting, and no doubt, it was exactly that.
We resonated with this building, its inclusivity felt homely. There was no black and white, there was, yet again, just the grey….
Following this adventure, we headed straight to Ella. Although its lush green surroundings, meadows, and rainforest-blanketed hills offered a surreal sight, its history was of more interest to us. We visited the Kuda Ravana Ella (Ravana Falls), and then to Ravana Ella Caves where Sita is believed to have been kept after adduction.
The places, although steeping with myths and folklore, had an eerie feeling to it. But we were confident that this ambience was not for something that had been done, it was for something that had happened to the land.
Then we came across a sight that reminded us of the colonial era- the Nine Arches Bridge. It still stands as one of the best and most aged examples of colonial architecture in Sri Lanka, which made us realise that our roots are not that varied.
Otherwise, how come the teardrop of India is not connected to India?
Clearing the Ominous Clouds
Our Sigiriya trip was a game-changer.
We had heard a lot about Harappa and Hampi, but never about this place. The ancient ruins of this fortress and city located at the top of the rocky granite hill, known as the Lion’s Rock, surely present a spine-chilling view.
It is believed that this was the palace of King Kassapa. And the frescos and structures of the palace, with the intricate labyrinth of gardens and reservoirs at such a height is a brilliant example of ancient skills.
When we went there, the sun was guarded by the clouds, thankfully. The weather got better, and we could climb up the fortress while enjoying pleasant winds. Upon reaching the top, we saw a board that said that it was a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We had no clue that this was a UNESCO site, but after exploring it, we found the place truly worth the tag.
Following that, we visited Dambulla Caves, another Heritage Site here. It is the best-preserved cave monastery in Sri Lanka, a pilgrimage site for over 22 centuries. We saw several statues of Buddha and some age-old paintings on the walls as well.
Ravana is a figure of respect in this land, and as if living within a paradox, we somehow came to imagine him as ‘not bad’ after learning about him deeply on this trip.
All in all, the entire heritage tour on this day took us back to the roots, posing a threatening question-
“How do I see myself? And how do I want to see myself?”
To Solace, and Acceptance
By the end of the trip, each of us had the answer to this question, affirming our identity and concretising the self.
After a long day of sightseeing around Merissa, we were just sitting atop Coconut Tree Hill, watching the sky change colours as the sun was preparing to set for the day.
We sat in silence, occasionally sharing a ‘hmm’ or two.
Perhaps having faith in oneself was the answer, or perhaps accepting the flaws was. Anyhow, both these options pointed towards the same thing Ram and Ravana fought for - the cognizance of the Grey.
Read More: Thrillophilia Sri Lanka Reviews