Dambulla cave temple
Dambulla cave temple, also known as the Golden Temple of
Dambulla is a World Heritage Site (1991) in Sri Lanka, situated in the central
part of the country. Dambulla is the largest and best-preserved cave temple
complex in Sri Lanka.
This temple complex that dates back to the first century
BCE, was one of our must visit locations in Sri Lanka. We started out early in
the morning. The beautiful Royal Rock Temple complex sits about 160m above the
road in the southern part of Dambulla, and the access to the temple is along
the gentle slope of the Dambulla Rock, offering a breathtaking panoramic view
of the surrounding flat lands.
We climbed the steps taking in the fresh oxygen and
reached the top. Since it was too early, we had to wait, giving us more time to
absorb the rejuvenating beauty from around.
There are more than 80 documented caves in the
surrounding area. Major attractions are spread over five caves, which contain
statues and paintings. These paintings and statues are related to Gautama
Buddha and his life. There are a total of 153 Buddha statues, three statues of
Sri Lankan kings and four statues of gods and goddesses. The latter include
Vishnu and the Ganesha.
As we visited the caves with beautiful statues of Buddha
and paid obeisance to the Hindu deities, I noticed a parijat tree in the
compound with flowers strewn around the tree trunk.
I have a special connection with the parijat flowers, so closed my eyes for a second and connected with the divine flowers.
I have a special connection with the parijat flowers, so closed my eyes for a second and connected with the divine flowers.
Sita Kotuwa.
When Ravana first brought Sita to Sri Lanka, he did not
take her directly to the Ashok Vatika. Their first stop was Sita Kotuwa, which
is in the midst of the forest.
Luckily our driver knew the way and took us through the downward forest trail, it took us 20 minutes to reach down.
Luckily our driver knew the way and took us through the downward forest trail, it took us 20 minutes to reach down.
The vibration was just amazing there. We sat down to
meditate and I felt so much of peace and bliss that was left there from the
presence of Sita.
It was confusing because according to the stories that are prevalent, Ravana took Sita by force, she must have had untoward feelings and her mind couldn’t have been peaceful. But our experience was nowhere near that. Experienced many picturesque visuals there that told an entirely different story!
It was confusing because according to the stories that are prevalent, Ravana took Sita by force, she must have had untoward feelings and her mind couldn’t have been peaceful. But our experience was nowhere near that. Experienced many picturesque visuals there that told an entirely different story!
I asked Sita ma, if what we felt was correct, show me an
indication. I looked around and saw a plant with just one bunch of Ashoka
flowers in it. Yes, I got my answer, leaving no iota of doubt.
Ravana Ella Falls
Similar thing happened at the Ravana falls too. I could
feel the tremendous power and stability there, which removed any feelings that
Ravana was a totally evil character. Standing in front of the waterfall with
closed eyes was a stabilising experience.
The Final meditation
I had the
thought of a final meditation to consolidate all the spiritual experiences in
Sri Lanka before we left the place. And it was so arranged that we had the
opportunity for a group meditation. During this group meditation, I felt the
presence of Lord hanuman, Sita ma and Ravana. Their combined energy field was
all around and inside my body. I saw the parijat flowers that were strewn
around the tree in the Dambulla temple being wrapped in a white cloth, then another
red cloth and being placed in my pineal gland.
The pineal
gland is something that is spoken of as being the intuition organ and the
connection point between body and spirit. French philosopher René Descartes
(1596-1650) emphasized the pineal gland in his writings, calling it the seat of
the soul and “The part of the body in which the soul directly exercises its
functions.” He contended that this was centre at which the soul and body
interacted, and where we receive our messages from the Divine.
I could feel
the intense vibration in my third eye area. I was sure something has happened
from the energy field. I thanked the Universal Energy for my experience.
A continuous process
On reaching
back home, I was not sure how to take my experience forward. After two days, a
friend gifted us a small idol of Ganeshji. I noticed that the third eye area
had a pronounced mark, which I had never seen in any similar idol before.
I kept it in my puja room and now during my daily puja, I connect my third eye with the third eye mark on the idol and re experience the vibrations I felt in Sri Lanka. So this is my routine till I am led to the next step!
I kept it in my puja room and now during my daily puja, I connect my third eye with the third eye mark on the idol and re experience the vibrations I felt in Sri Lanka. So this is my routine till I am led to the next step!
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