Matale
Situated 142 kilometers away form the capital
Colombo is Matale an important agricultural
centre, with cattle-rearing and a thriving tourist
spot in recent times. This small market town
north of Kandy, received prominence in 1803
with the construction of Fort MacDowall by the
British during the Kandyan Wars. Today, however,
all that survives is a gateway. In the
centre of religious architecture in Sri Lanka
is the dagoba, reliquary monument also
called Thupa or Stupa. It
is generally the centre of a religious complex
including other constructions, such monastery,
sanctuaries sheltering statues of worships,
rooms of prayers and refectory. Dagoba is a
full construction in which we never penetrate.
Buddhist monument par excellence, they often
hid there a relic of the Buddha or one of its
first disciples.
Agriculture holds a very important place in
the economy of the island. The main food crop
is rice. The production covers two thirds of
the needs. Yoking of buffaloes. On the minor
roads, there are practically no roadsigns and
in the provincial towns, traffic lights are
quasi unknown.
Situated just north of Matale is Aluvihara Rock
Temple. It was here, in the 2nd century BC,
that the Buddhist scriptures known as the Tripitika
were first committed to writing, a task that
required the endeavour of hundreds of monks.
Tragically, the library was destroyed in the
1848 Rebellion, along with much of the rest
of the temple complex, when the British pursued
a rebel leader to a hiding place in the nearby
caves. Since that time, monks have been painstakingly
re-inscribing the olas, or palm-leaf manuscripts.
To date, the 550 Jataka tales of the Buddha's
many births have been recorded, and the monks
are now labouring over the three baskets that
comprise the Tripitika.
If you are traveling from Kandy northwards towards
the country’s main archaeological sites,
you will pass the turn off to the Matale Heritage
Centre. It is a palce to taste the best fresh
local food. However, the kitchens are only one
part of the Matale Heritage Centre, which showcases
not only the cuisine but also the traditional
handicrafts of Sri Lanka – albeit with
a contemporary twist!
The turn off for the Matale Heritage Centre
is just after the town of Matale, which is 24km
north of Kandy. Immediately the road deteriorates
to a pot-holed bone-shaker of a trail that leads
you through a small village to the Centre’s
entrance. The trail brings you up through a
wild explosion of undergrowth until you are
spat out at the top to come face to face with
a view that rivals any in the Kandy area. Disembarking
here you can catch glimpses of a quirky sense
of style and artistic flair around you in the
form of sculptures and carvings dotting the
gardens.
What is on offer at the Heritage Centre is not
a guided tour around Ena’s home ( the
main lady of the house), but is the chance to
experience the Sri Lankan village atmosphere,
a lot of the delicious food of the island and
to purchase items to adorn your house for years
to come. The Heritage Centre features traditional
crafts such as woodwork, stitching, brass work
and batik, all practiced with the meticulous
accuracy of professional artists. It provides
an insight into a Sri Lankan village style of
relating to each other. While the emphasis is
on women who constitute the whole administrative
structure, men also work at the site in different
capacities.
Being perched on the very edge of the hill,
the kitchens not only encourage you to indulge
but also treat you to a fresh, airy atmosphere
and a view to be remembered. As I sat gazing
over my plate (empty for the third time) I couldn’t
help but marvel at the impression of remoteness,
when in fact I knew we were only a few hundred
metres from the main highway. To tie up the
visit perfectly, a trip to the shop is a must.
Colourful stuffed elephants decorated with hand-stitched
designs, batiks produced according to Ena’s
distinctive style, and huge wall-hangings. These
are but a few of the items on offer, and all
profits go directly to the cooperative.
In fact, it is an amalgamation of all of these
things and more, just as a village does not
focus on only one type of work – rather
it is an environment that is holistic and deals
with a variety of needs and activities.
