I love sharing what I see, feel, hear, smell or taste when I visit a special place. Memories of them makes a place special or not. That decides whether I will anticipate my next visit or maybe avoid that place at all costs in the future.
I experienced magic when I visited the Mahamevnawa Monastery high up on the hills between Bandarawela and Badulla during my holidays in April.
I had to travel to the monastery through a precarious road that was downright dangerous at times but once I got there it was worth every moment. The temple was surrounded in serenity, serendipity and silence which enveloped us from the biting chilly wind.
The monastery itself is still under construction but that did not deter the holiness and enchantment it exuded. The cloth-wrapped statues of Lord Buddha (because of the ongoing construction work) were set at intervals to form a circle around the main temple until they reached the main, majestic statue which looked out into the far away mountains and clouds .
Each statue was decorated at its base with fresh, colorful flowers like roses, carnations, water lilies and orchids among other varieties. The veiled faces and raised hands of Lord Buddha calmed my soul and soothed my mind and I’m sure that they will definitely make one contemplate what real happiness is in being just simple.
I ventured to places filled with wonder and magic, for the common man, woman and child, like this, because I want the world to know how beautiful and majestic my country is due to its history and heritage. Being a Local Guide has become the main reason for my new found motivation.
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I love sharing what I see, feel, hear, smell or taste, whatever that makes it into a memory. I have come across good places to visit and “bad” places to avoid in the future. After I became a Local Guide for Google Maps, things got more interesting because now I was writing my experiences for the whole world to see: from my fellow traveler just a kilometer away to the eager tourist who will plan his trip to Sri Lanka from his home in New York.
The visit to the Mahamewna Monastery (a Buddhist temple and meditation center that is still under construction) which is situated about 600 m above road level, close to Badulla (the central hillsides of the island) on a mountain was led to by a somewhat precarious road that stretched to more than 4 kilometers.
But once there, something happened. The tiredness and anxiety were washed away replaced by serenity, serendipity and silence. The large, white seated statues of Lord Buddha were still covered fully with white clothes and formed a semi circle flanking the main, majestic statue of the great philosopher within the half-built circular temple. The pedestals of all the statues were decorated with colorful fresh flowers including roses, dahlias, lilies and orchids.
The silence surrounding us wrapped around us like a shield hushing away the biting chilling wind . The raised hands, pointed noses, closed eyes and gentle empathetic smiles of the Lords complemented this silence and lightened our souls to make us contemplate what real happiness might be.
As a Local Guide I see places in a different way. I meet people in a different way. And I make friends that are there to stay. I love to roam now around my country, find famous niches and discover new mysteries thanks to Google Maps which makes places easier to find and helps keep those memories intact forever.
The Mahamewna Monastery was just one place and my goal is to find more places like this, whatever religion or creed, so that I may find solace in myself and also share the experiences with whoever that has the time to take a break through Google Maps.
Hi @Chamindra ,
Thank you for sharing why you enjoy being a Local Guide. Please note that your post was released from the spam quarantine and is now live on Connect. Apologies for any inconvenience caused - our spam filters are sensitive and can be triggered by a myriad of functions. To learn more about this topic, feel free to check - Why was my Connect post marked as spam?.
One last thing, I merged both of your post into a single thread, as they share the same subject matter.
