Go on half day cycling tour to three of Kandy's most famous temples. Visit the ancient monastery of Gadaladeniya. Get to see Lankathilaka Temple, the most magnificent edifice of the Gampola Era. Marvel at the delicate woodcrafting of Embekke Temple. Enjoy the brilliant green countryside along the way.
Highlights:
- Visit to 3 Historic Buddhist Temples.
- Mountain Bikes and Helmets
- Experienced English-speaking cycling guide
- A 1L & water bottle and 2 chocolate & bars will be provided per person
Experience:
Your tour will start at 8:30 am at the University of Peredeniya, in Kandy. You will be joined by an experienced cycling guide who will explain the attractions during the tour. Mountain bikes and helmets as well as a bottle of water for the ride will be waiting for you at the startup point. Please wear proper shoes to avoid injuring yourself during this long cycling tour. Also ensure that that you have breakfast before beginning your tour as you won't be stopping for it.
You will be doing the first stretch of the tour to Gadaladeniya within 45 minutes. A short break will be included. Once you get there you will find yourself at an ancient temple with strong South Indian influences. The reason for this, is that the architect was brought in from South India. While there you can view the giant golden Buddha statue, and take note of the unique design with a main stupa and four smaller satellite stupas surrounding it.
After a twenty minute tour, you will be traveling to Lankathilaka Temple. You will get there at approximately 10:00 am, where you will find yourself at a palatial structure built on natural rock. Once a four storied edifice, now only three floors remain of the original building. Built during the 14th century, this is yet another Sri Lankan Buddhist Temple built by South Indian architect. The influence is seen in the delicately designed ornamental arches and Hindu Temple-like exterior wall design. Don’t forget to see the beautiful paintings of the image house and the rock inscriptions on the bedrock of the temple.
The final place in your schedule will be the Embekke Temple. This place is a wonderful treat to the eyes, as it is covered in carvings. All its wooden sections (which are quite a lot considering that the temple is almost completely made of wood) are decorated with detailed and delicate woodwork ,that make Embekke the most famous example for ancient Sri Lanka's woodcrafting skills. Among the best masterpieces on the capital pillars are the Hansa Puttuwa (entwined swans), the double headed eagles, entwined rope designs, a mother breast-feeding her child design, a soldier fighting on horseback, female dancing figures, wrestlers, women emanating from a vein, a bird-man figure, elephant-bull and the elephant-lion figure. In total there are over 500 unique designs among these carvings. You will also be shown the unique architecture used in the wooden rafters.
After feasting on the beauty of Embekke, you will be returning to the University of Peradeniya, where you started. You will get there by 12:30 pm. Completing your tour.
