Special Feature – IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOUNTAIN OF A GOD: a Visit to the Temples of Saman

The legends disagree on the exact method in which Sumana Saman became a god, but what is clear is that Adam’s Peak, or Siripada, is believed to be his earthly home, and the centre of his influence and protection.”

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The Mountain of Saman, Sumanakuta, also known as Siripada and Adam’s Peak, as seen across the Kuru Ganga Valley, close to Ratnapura.
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Special Feature — THE FORGOTTEN TEMPLE: Dakkinagiriya & the Other Kaludiya Pokuna

A thousand-year-old ‘mountain monastery’, lost in the Kaludiya Pokuna Forest, east of Dambulla; forgotten by the tour guides, and seemingly by time itself. For the visitor seeking something literally off the beaten track, the Dakkinagiri Viharaya is an intriguing but serene detour away from the well-trodden sites of Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle.”

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The stupa of the 9th century Dakkinagiri Viharaya, with Erawalgala behind it.
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Pleas to the Uncaring

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Prayer flags flutter below the bo tree (Ficus religiosa) of the 18th century Padeniya Buddhist temple. Sri Lanka, May 2022.

• 18mm • f/3.5 • 1/640 • ISO100 •

Pavivakà

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The abandoned Maduwegala Aranya Senasanaya, a Buddhist forest monastery, close to Konwewa, in Maho. February 2022.

Waiting for a God

Worship Queue -- Devotees queue to enter the main shrine room of the Mahiyanganaya Maha Saman Devalaya in eastern Sri Lanka.
Devotees queue to enter the main shrine room of the Mahiyanganaya Maha Saman Devalaya in eastern Sri Lanka. On the wall above them are the lines to a Sinhalese pilgrim’s chant. While most of the shrine was built in the 1950s, portions of it are thought to be over 2,500 years old, venerating a deity that straddles two religions; Saman, once a disciple of the Buddha, now worshipped as a god in the Hindu tradition. Shot on assignment for ‘Serendib‘, the inflight magazine of Sri Lankan Airlines. My piece, ‘In the Shadow of the Mountain of a God‘, appeared in the April 2016 issue.

Blurred Gods

Image shows a shrine to the Buddha is flanked by shrines to Vishnu and, the Sri Lankan Hindu deity, Kataragama. Sri Sumana Saman Devalaya, Deraniyagala.
The line between Buddhism and Hinduism in Sri Lanka: a shrine to the Buddha is flanked by shrines to Vishnu and, the Sri Lankan Hindu deity, Kataragama. Sri Sumana Saman Devalaya, Deraniyagala. Shot for my photo story ‘In the Shadow of the Mountain of a God‘, which ran in the April 2016 issue of ‘Serendib‘, the inflight magazine of Sri Lankan Airlines.

New Kathiresan Kovil, Colombo, Sri Lanka

New Kathiresan Kovil, Colombo, Sri Lanka by Son of the Morning Light on 500px.com
At the junction of Sea Street and St Paul’s Avenue, in northern Kochichikade, the temple is dedicated to Murugan, also known as Skanda, the Hindu god of war and victory. April 2016.

Flower Offerings, Temple of the Tooth, Kandy #6

Flower Offerings, Temple of the Tooth, Kandy #6 by Son of the Morning Light on 500px.com
Flowers await sale to devotees visiting the Temple of the Tooth, in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Shot on assignment for The New York Times. This photo, and others, were used to illustrate Lucas Peterson’s story, “An Island Nation That Is Best Savored Slowly“, which ran in the Frugal Traveler column on 30th January 2019.
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Exploring the Temple of the Tooth, Sri Lanka

Exploring the Temple of the Tooth by Son of the Morning Light on 500px.com
Shermaine Willis and Anuradha Perera, shot here on assignment for Ashraff Associates and The Radh, Kandy, walking through the grounds of the Temple of the Tooth in October 2018.
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Exploring the Ramparts of the Temple of the Tooth, Kandy

On the Ramparts of the Temple of the Tooth, Kandy by Son of the Morning Light on 500px.com
Shermaine Willis and Anuradha Perera, shot in October 2018, for Ashraff Associates and The Radh, Kandy, walking the ramparts of the 18th century palace originally built for King Sri Viraparakrama Narendrasinha, the last Sinhalese king of Sri Lanka. While the complex was used as a palace for some years after its creation, the king eventually ordered it converted into the Dalada Maligawa, a shrine to house the Tooth Relic of the Buddha, one of Buddhism’s most venerated objects. On the far side of the moat is the square encompassing three of the four Hatara Maha Devalayas — the Vishnu, Natha, and Pattini shrines. The fourth, the Kataragama Devalaya, is located half a kilometre away, in the middle of the city.