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斯里兰卡原名为“锡兰”，我国古籍中称其为“师（狮）子国”，今人喻其为“印度洋的眼泪”。研究中外文化交流的一些学者认为斯里兰卡是海上丝绸之路的重要一站，这诚然不假；但对于法显、玄奘等通过西域到南亚的西行求法者来说，对于公元5世纪时已是城中“多萨薄商人”，“诸国商人共市易”（法显《佛国记》）之地，斯里兰卡又何尝不是陆上丝绸之路的一处终点呢？
康提
斯里兰卡实际上是一个山地岛国，古都康提位于首都科伦坡的东北，在斯岛的中央地方。
自公元4世纪释迦牟尼的佛牙被迎送至此，圣城康提在斯里兰卡历史上一直有着极为重要的地位。1592年，斯里兰卡定都康提，王宫和佛牙寺连接一体，成为国家宗教信仰和行政管理的中心。尽管16、17世纪锡兰曾一度被葡萄牙及荷兰殖民者占领，1815年又沦为英国殖民统治，康提依然是斯里兰卡不屈精神的象征。作为南传佛教的一处朝觐圣地，这个依山傍湖的小城已经被联合国教科文组织列入世界文化遗产名录。
康堤佛牙寺位于人工开掘的康提湖北岸。我国东晋后秦高僧法显于公元410年巡行师子国时，见“城中又起佛齿精舍，皆七宝作”（《佛国记》），这应该是关于斯里兰卡佛牙寺最早的文字记载；唐玄奘《大唐西域记》中亦载：“王宫侧有佛牙精舍，高数百尺，莹以珠珍，饰之奇宝。”这则说明7世纪时佛牙寺已和王宫连为一体。但是康提城始建于14世纪，定都于1592年，法显、玄奘所见的佛牙寺应该是在当时的都城阿努拉达普拉，即今西古城内，后来随王宫迁址至康提。
参拜佛牙不允许戴帽穿鞋，拒绝穿短袖衫、短裤、裙子者，也不欢迎穿深色服装者。车子在离佛牙寺一二百米外的路边停靠，大家便光着脚步入寺外的大道，先到殿堂外的空地集结。护城河边宫墙内，一座颇具特色的八角形殿亭首先映入眼帘，据说过去国王常在此接见聚集在殿前空场上的臣民，而且时至今日，国家首脑也仍会在举办某种仪式时于此向公众发表讲话。礼拜佛牙需手持莲朵，于是有人向大家分发各色莲花，各人自行摘去花茎，如系花苞，则将其花瓣一一舒展后，托于掌中。因为观瞻者甚多，大家鱼贯进入寺内后就挤在殿堂底层耐心等待。供奉佛牙的房间在二楼，为便于礼拜，外有厅堂，内设回廊，供着佛牙的宝龛平时有锦幔遮护。佛祖舍利是释迦牟尼涅槃后火化所得，据传除8.4万颗真身舍利子外，尚有顶骨、锁骨、指骨及四颗佛牙舍利等传世，佛传中还有“八王争舍利”故事，化干戈为玉帛之后，佛舍利遂为各国珍藏。我曾瞻拜过北京八大处碧云寺、房山云居寺珍藏的佛舍利和陕西扶风法门寺地宫的指骨（影骨）舍利，斯里兰卡这颗佛牙舍利据说则是公元317年，南印度羯陵伽国国王战败后派其公主将佛牙舍利藏在发髻中，渡海送给锡兰国王的。之后，佛牙被锡兰历代国王视为镇国之宝，建寺塔供奉。据称，现在的佛牙寺集中了康提时期的各种装饰材料、装饰技术与艺术，堪称一座艺术博物馆。
丹布拉石窟
著名的丹布拉石窟位于康提以北60公里处一座山岩的斜坡之上，始凿于公元前1世纪，是斯里兰卡最早的佛教石窟寺。山下的进口广场边，矗立着一所新的类似宫殿的三层建筑，名曰Golden Temple，张开大口的兽头作为大门，三层之上左右两侧各有八角亭供奉着小型佛塔，正中则是高大的金色结迦趺坐释迦牟尼佛像。从殿左沿山坡大道上行约里许，到达一块巨岩下端的石窟寺正式入口处外的小广场，脱鞋存放后，检票进入石窟区。据宾度女士介绍，洞窟的始凿与维拉干王为躲避外敌入侵、寻求神灵庇护有关。2000多年来，这个石窟最初的形态没有太多变化，但历经修建，目前洞内的雕塑、壁画大多是公元13～14世纪后所作，仍与当时的王室关系密切，几乎等于是皇家石窟寺。今天丹布拉寺的主体是五个大小及形状不一、互不相连的洞窟，里面皆有各种造像与壁画，制作年代并不一致，但均带有印度原始宗教或南传佛教锡兰本地的形象和风格。右侧第一个窟内有一尊卧佛长约14米，侧卧姿态与我们在敦煌等地看到的涅槃像不尽相同，特别是佛祖的双眼圆睁——据宾度解释：这符合原始佛典的相关描述，而如何辨认孰为涅槃、孰为入定或安睡？有研究者说要看塑像并拢的双脚脚趾是否并齐，并齐者为涅槃，不齐者则为入定思维。后来我们看了洞窟内几尊卧佛像，确有此不同特征。东晋法显所译《大般涅槃经》中叙述：佛祖涅槃前，其大弟子阿难流泪并拍头高唱：“呜呼苦哉，世间眼灭！”依此，佛涅槃时应当闭眼。此经中国化的意味甚重，似可作为中国的佛涅槃像闭眼之依据；但竺法念所译小乘佛典《长阿含经》中讲阿难默思：“如来未即灭度，世眼未灭。”而此经中佛涅槃时所念偈语有云：“难动而取灭，时地则大动。净眼说诸缘，地动八事动。”这里的“净眼”若可解作“睁眼”，则我理解似证明依小乘经典，佛涅槃之际仍是睁眼看世间的，尔后则可闭眼。斯里兰卡学者的说法是否另有佛典依据，就不得而知了。这里的卧佛身上呈水波纹状的袈裟也都带有薄透的质感，也就是被中国画史上称之为“曹衣出水”者（我以为这可能和中国的家蚕丝织物传入印度、锡兰有关）。佛首所枕却都是绘制精美的莲心团花高枕，这亦与我们在国内所见有别。
丹布拉石窟基本上是利用原有的岩体开凿，自然采光，所以明暗不一，要仔细观瞻里面的雕塑、壁画还得靠灯烛或手电照射。左侧最大一个洞窟内，不仅有48座各式塑像，而且还有完整的供人礼拜的早期形态的佛塔。塑像的形态、装饰、着色差异较大，我以为正显示出南传佛教的特色及时代的差别。有的佛传故事画绘制在洞窟上壁，就得仰头眦目才能约略辨认。我个人觉得这里壁画的年代相对早于塑像，内容、风格也较丰富。另外，窟门门楣上浮雕的人物、动物形象也显示出鲜明的地域风格。当然时间、条件有限，我又缺乏这方面的专业知识，也只能是走马观花了。我们赤脚走在窟外阳光照射的地面上，望着石窟寺内外秀丽的景物，除了脚面的炽热之外，也感觉到了山岩的坚实与内心的充实。
狮子岩
狮子岩是建筑在海拔360米平地上突兀而出的巨大岩体之上的王城与宫殿，山岩高200米，被誉为“世界第八大奇迹”，也已被联合国教科文组织列入世界文化遗产名录。公元477年，摩利耶王朝王子卡西雅帕弑父达图塞那一世登基，他为了躲避与防御为父报仇的同父异母弟弟莫加兰的复仇，用18年时间修筑此碉堡式城阙，但据说只使用了七年就因王朝覆灭而湮没了。过了1000多年，1893年，才由考古学家重新发现，历经近百年的科学发掘、整理，至1982年成为开放游览的著名世界文化遗迹。正午时分，我们乘车来时，从城区道路两旁残存的墙基可以知道起码有内外两道城墙，之间也有护城河环绕。城区东西间距约3公里，南北间距1公里，我们这次观览的重点，则是位于城中心巨大的狮形岩体，尤其是它的洞壁里残存的公元5世纪末的色彩斑斓的壁画。 据说整座狮子岩原先有500多幅壁画，现存的只是很少的部分，大概卡西雅帕王朝灭亡时，也遭到了战火的毁坏。途中，向导先带我们看了两处岩壁上的壁画残迹，然后便到了一架圆筒形盘旋而上的直梯跟前。直梯只容一人登踏，于是一个个顶踵相接而上，这就到了集中观赏壁画的狭长岩洞。洞口很窄，如二人同时行进，就得侧身而过了。残存的壁画就绘制在内侧桔红色的岩壁上，因洞窟低矮，壁画近在眼前，可以看得很清晰。仅存的几十身人物形象均赤裸上身，上层是姿态各异的拈花、捧花、散花的天女阿布萨拉，她在印度原始佛教中与乾闼婆同体，在敦煌壁画中则演变为千姿百态的飞天；下层所绘据说为当时宫廷里的嫔妃与侍女形象，也都拿着供养的花枝。最令人称奇的是，这些1500多年前的绘画均色彩如新，不但冠饰花钿、璎珞项链及臂钏等都描绘得精致细腻，而且人物肌肤质感极强，主色调的赭红、桔黄色仿佛是刚刚涂敷的；女性“S”形的三道弯体态特征也很明显，可证敦煌伎乐天的形态还是源于南亚乐舞。我想，这些相当于我国北魏孝文帝晚期的壁画，留存至今色彩还如此鲜艳，恐怕主要是得益于当时所使用的矿石颜料，尤其是一些稀贵的绿松、黄晶、青金等宝石，同时也与洞窟长期封闭有关。至于它们当初是如何被绘制在峭岩绝壁之上的，就得由考古学家、美术家来细细推究、论证了。
从壁画洞窟下来后，要经过一处弧形甬道，左侧黄色矮墙上有若隐若现的古代题刻，据说研究者确定壁画的绘制年代，有些题刻也是依据之一。过了甬道，又是向上的石阶，奋力上行，我们一行人登上了一个平坦的长方形场地，先休息片刻，顺便在考古家发掘出来的一对巨型狮爪前摄影留念，这狮爪现在成了攀登岩顶入口处的标志。大家仰视附着在岩壁上那“之”字形坡度超过30度的金属梯架，虽未摩拳擦掌，也都鼓足了气力，体弱者也不言放弃。正式攀爬开始了，尽管只有100多米的垂直高度，一鼓作气也显然是行不通的，因为人多路陡，最好是调理好呼吸与迈步节奏，走几十步稍作停顿方不觉疲乏。当地时间下午4点45分，我终于登上了“狮子的脊背”——岩顶，也是昔日皇宫顶端的遗址。经过多年的考古发掘整理，现在的岩顶是一块呈长方形的三层台地，面积约2公顷，据说是皇宫的空中庭园所在地，有国王寝宫、蓄水池、宴会厅、议事堂等。现在，除了那一汪依然清澈的池水和斑驳的石制宝座、供桌外，其余都已灰飞烟灭，只剩下些残基断础供人遐想了。
“无限风光在险峰”的刺激与兴奋，已经消退了我们攀登劳累的感觉。我们踏着当年卡西雅帕皇宫的废墟，俯瞰碧野，仰望苍穹，仿佛穿越时空，看到壁画上那些天女、嫔妃飘然过来在身边轻歌曼舞，看到卡西雅帕和他的大臣们在紧张梭巡，看到这座金碧辉煌的宫殿在战火中轰然倒塌……还能看到些什么呢？善与恶、美与丑、创造与毁灭、微笑与眼泪……城头变换大王旗，丝路重现繁华景，这就是沧桑变迁，这就是历史留给后人的记忆、经验、教训与希望。
夕阳悄然隐没，晚霞消退，暮色渐浓，我们带着收获、疑惑与感慨，匆匆从西边下山，穿过两侧对称的花园、蓄水池、渠道遗址，出城后蓦然回首，在扑簌模糊的泪眼中，那狮子岩依然巍峨耸立、雄伟挺拔。
西古城祇陀林佛塔
阿努拉达普拉古城位于斯里兰卡中北部，距科伦坡206公里，位于斯里兰卡文化三角地区的西部，因此被称为西古城。该城是斯国古佛寺最集中的地方。公元前3世纪至公元10世纪，锡兰岛一直被阿努拉达普拉王朝控制，其首都即在西古城地区。2300多年前，阿育王之子摩哂陀带领四位比丘渡海传法至此城，阿努拉达普拉古城遂成为斯里兰卡最早的佛教圣地。古城区通过一个多世纪以来的发掘、修缮，现在已成为佛教朝觐中心及旅游胜地。现存遗址除潘杜卡巴雅国王所筑的内城城墙、宫殿遗址外，还有名闻遐迩的佛教圣迹——大菩提树、铜宫、佛牙寺、无畏山寺、鲁温维利塔等。因为时间关系，我们只能参观古城现存最大的佛塔——祇陀林大佛塔。
我对锡兰早期佛塔所知甚少，只有来到这座祇陀林塔的跟前，才真切体会到“叹为观止”这个词语的含义。高大的砖红色覆钵型塔身坐落在方形石基之上，钵上有箱形长方体（平头），安放在上面的塔尖（相轮）直指苍穹，似乎和中国传统的天圆地方宇宙观相接近，而在蓝天的映衬下，又显现出天地间唯我独尊的气势。此佛塔由公元3世纪晚期的国王摩诃斯那开始修建，其子摩诃文那完成，前后用时27年，是斯里兰卡现存最高的佛塔。巍巍大塔给人的第一感觉便是崇高、庄严、静穆，使僧俗信众顶礼膜拜时心中升腾起对佛陀、佛法的敬畏；同时，也会由衷地赞美古代佛教建筑艺术的丰伟，赞叹古代建筑师的智慧与工匠的辛劳。
我们在顺时针绕塔巡礼一圈时，不由地都将注意力集中在覆钵基部那些早期的雕刻上。塔的东、南、西、北正四方底部都建有在岩体基石上用红砖砌成的凸形九层台，有侧门通入塔内的空间。那些圆雕在石梁上的象形、虎状兽头大多已经残损，而台基两侧所竖立的石刻却相对完整。于是，我们又有幸看到了清晰而精美的拈花天女、提壶神女雕像，她们同样赤裸上身，腿上裹的长裤同样显示出薄透的质感，虽然比狮子岩的壁画形象粗壮、质朴，却有着更加妩媚的三道弯形体特征；我们又看到了整幅为五头、七头眼镜蛇的细腻刻石，尽管形态有点骇人，却似乎比丹布拉石窟的龙形浮雕更为真实，更加生活化；我们也看到了那宝瓶中冒出的花枝里裹着的狮子、狼、大象等动物形象，看到了托举箱囊的侍女或蹲举着宝瓶的力士；还有一幅线刻图，上面流畅生动的鸟兽形象仿佛是天外来客所为……我们刚才在百米外仰望佛塔时，怎么也不会想到在形似粗犷的覆钵底部，会有这么多精美的石刻可以一饱眼福且沁入脑海，令人难以忘却。
我走下塔基的台阶，仔细鉴赏一个石柱上的圆形石罐，罐口四周原有的动物雕刻早已残缺，但环绕罐肚的五条装饰线却完好如初。此罐仅起装饰作用，还是另有功能，吾所不知。我忽然看见在石柱下有一个小器皿，捡起一看，原来是带有小嘴的朱红色的陶碟，擦掉里面的沙土，露出了碟底部黄绿色的沉淀物，闻之有明显的油味——原来是供佛的一盏小油灯！在巍然佛塔面前，它是那么微小，但一叶知秋，纳须弥于芥子，它所蕴含的奥义，却是求索不尽的。斯国之行，在朦胧迷茫的泪眼中，我们又一次感受了佛教文化的无穷魅力。 Sri Lanka， formerly known as “Ceylon”， was called “Lion’s Country” in China’s ancient books， a metaphor referred to the country now called “Indian Ocean’s tears”. Sri Lanka is， to some scholars who are making researches on the cultural exchanges， an important stop on the maritime Silk Road. But to those people， such as Fa Xian and Xuan Zang， who went to Southern Asia to seek Buddhist sutras through the Western areas， Sri Lanka， already “a market for the businessmen of all countries” in the 5th century， was just one of the terminals on the Silk Road.
Kandy
Sri Lanka is a mountainous island， and the ancient capital， Kandy， is located in the northeast of the capital Colombo， in the center of Sri Lanka Island.
In the 4th century， Buddha’s tooth relic was sent there， and from then on， the holy city Kandy became very important in Sri Lanka’s history. In 1592， Sri Lankan made its capital in Kandy， and the Royal Palace and Sri Dalada Maligawa were connected as one， which became the center of national religion and administration. Although Ceylon was once occupied by the Portuguese and Dutch colonists in the 16th and 17th century， and in 1815 colonized by British， Kandy is still a symbol of indomitable spirit of Sri Lanka. As a pilgrimage shrine of Southern Buddhism， Kandy， which is a small city located between mountains and lakes， has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy is located in the northern shore of Kandy Lake that was an artificial lake. When Fa Xian， an eminent monk of Later Qin Kingdom in the Eastern Jin Dynasty， was investigating Sri Lanka in AD 410， he saw “Sri Lanka is building the temple of Buddha tooth， made with seven treasures” （Foguoji）， which should be the earliest written records of Sri Dalada Maligawa； Da Tang Xi Yu Ji， written by Xuan Zang， also said： “In one side of the palace， there is a perfect Sri Dalada Maligawa， which is decorated with pearls and priceless treasures， and has a height of several hundred feet.” This told us that Sri Dalada Maligawa and the palace had already been connected together in the 7th century. But Kandy city was founded in the 14th century， and made its capital in 1592， so Sri Dalada Maligawa that Fa Xian and Xuan Zang saw should be in Anuradhapura， now it is located in the west of the ancient city， and later Sri Dalada Maligawa was moved to Kandy together with the palace.
People with T-shirt， shorts， skirts and dark clothing are forbidden to enter the temple， and the entrants should take off their shoes and hats. The cars should be parked in a distance of one to two hundred meters away from the Tooth Relic， and the people will walk barefoot into the road outside the Tooth Relic， and gather together in an open space outside the temple. There is a distinctive octagonal temple pavilion inside the moat wall， where it is said that the king often interviewed the people gathering in front of the temple， but today， the heads of state will also make speech to the public when there is a ceremony. When paying respects to the Tooth Relic， people should hold lotus flowers in hands， and the lotus flowers of different colors are distributed， and everyone plucks stems of the flower. If the lotus flower is a bud， the petals should be stretched one by one， and hold in the palms. Because there are large numbers of worshipers， everyone files into the temple and then crowds in the ground floor of the hall patiently. The tooth relic is on the second floor. Due to the convenience to the worshipers， outside the tooth room there is a hall and inside it are corridors. The box in which the tooth relic was placed is usually shielded by brocades. Buddha’s relic is collected from the cremation after Sakyamuni’s Nirvana. It is said that besides 84，000 Buddha’s relics， there are parietal bones， clavicles， phalanges and four teeth relics are handed down from generation to generation. In the biography of Buddha， it is said that “Eight kings fought for the relics”， and after burying the hatchet， the Buddha’s relics were treasured up by many countries. I have worshipped the Buddha’s relics in Temple of Azure Clouds， in Yunju Temple and the phalanx （shadow bone） relics in Famen Temple in Fufeng， Shaanxi. It is said that the tooth relic in Sri Lanka is the one that in 317AD， after the defeat of the war， the king of Kalinga in South India asked his princess to sent the tooth relic， hiding in her hair ，to the king of Ceylon. After that， the tooth relic was considered as the treasure of the country by the kings of Ceylon， and built a temple to put it in and worship. Allegedly， Sri Dalada Maligawa collected variety of decorative materials， techniques and arts in Kandy period， and now it can be called a museum of art. Dambulla Cave Temple
The famous Dambulla Cave Temple， which is located on a slope of a rock 60 kilometers away from the north of Kandy and was built in the first century BC， is the earliest Buddhist cave temple in Sri Lanka. In the side of the square’s entrance， there is a new three-story palace-like building， which is called Golden Temple. Its gate is like an animal head whose mouth is widely open， and on the third floor there are two octagonal pavilions in which there are small pagodas， and the tall golden Buddha Sakyamuni is sitting in the middle. Walking several kilometers along the hillside avenue in the left side of the temple， we arrived at the square in the entrance of the cave temple， and after taking off and storing shoes， we entered the grotto area. According to Ms. Bindu， these caves have a relationship with the king Vera who tried to avoid invasion and seek a refuge of the Gods. More than 2000 years passed and the grotto’s original form did not change very much， but most of the current sculptures and murals inside the cave have been constructed since the 13th and 14th century AD， and these sculptures were closely related with the royal family then， and it was in fact the royal cave temple. The main part of today’s Dambulla Cave Temple is five caves who have different sizes and shapes and do not connect to each other， in which there are various statues and murals made in different ages but have the image and style of India’s original religion or local Ceylon religion. In the right side of the first cave， there is a statue of Buddha which has a height of 14 meters， and its posture is almost the same as those in Dunhuang and other places， particularly Buddha’s wide open eyes. According to Bindu’s explanation， this is consistent with the description of the original scriptures， in which ways to identify Nirvana， meditation and sleep weredescriped. Some researchers say that if the statue’s feet place together and the toes are neat， it is in Nirvana； otherwise it is meditating. And then we visited several Buddha statues， which really show these different characteristics. In a scripture translated by Fa Xian， it is said that before the nirvana of Buddha， his oldest disciple Ananda tore and chanted： “Alas， the eyes in the world are off！” So， based on this， the Buddha’s eyes should be closed when in Nirvana. This is the basis of the nirvana of China’s Buddha； but in the scriptures translated by Zhu Fanian there is different explanation. My understanding is that the Buddha’s eyes stayed open to see the world before he was in nirvana， and then closed his eyes. We do not know what the Buddhist scholars of Sri Lankan said is grounded or not. The body of Buddha is covered with thin and transparent texture. I think this may have a relationship with Chinese silk fabrics introduced into India and Ceylon. The pillows that the Buddha used are the ones with beautiful drawn floral lotus on them， which are different from what we saw in China. Dambulla Cave Temple is chiseled in the original rocks and no lamps are used. If you want to carefully visit the sculptures and the murals， you have to rely on candle or flashlight. In the largest cave in the left， there are not only 48 statues of different types， but also the early forms of sputa of integrity for people to worship. The statues’ form， decoration and coloring are quite different， which shows the features of Southern Buddhism and the differences of ages. Some Buddha stories are drawn on the wall of the cave， which make you look up to have a rough recognition. Personally speaking， I think the murals here are earlier than the statues， and their content and style are also more plentiful. In addition， the figures and animals on the cave door lintel also shows the distinct regional styles. Because of limited time and condition， and lacking of the expertise in this area， I can only learn about the superficial knowledge. We walked barefoot on the ground full of sunlight， and looked at the beautiful sceneries inside and outside the cave temple. Besides the hot feelings on the foot， we also felt the solidness of the rocks and the delight within our heart.
Sigiriya Lion Rock
Sigiriya Lion Rock， which was built on a huge rock with an altitude of 360 meters， is a palace. The rock has a height of 200 meters， so Sigiriya is known as the “the eighth wonder of the world”， and it has also been included in UNESCO World Heritage List. In 477 AD， the prince of Mo Liye Dynasty （Kaxiyapa） killed his father and became the king. In order to avoid and defend his brother’s revenge， he spent 18 years in building the gate tower， but it was said that the tower was destroyed seven years later together with the Dynasty’s destruction. After 1，000 years， in 1893， the archaeologists re-discovered it， and after nearly a century’s scientific excavation and sorting， finally in 1982， it became a world famous cultural relic open to the world people to visit. At noon， when we travelled there， judging from the remnants of the city walls on both sides of the road we can know that there are at least two inner and outer walls， and there is also a moat between them. The city is about 3 kilometers long from the west to the east， and about one kilometer wide from the north to the south. Our interest of the visit is a huge lion-shaped rock， which is located in the center of the city， especially its colorful murals made in the 5th century.
It is said that the entire Sigiriya Lion Rock had more than 500 original murals， but only a small part of them survived. Maybe they were destroyed by the war when Kathy Palmer Dynasty perished. On the way， the guide showed us two remnants of murals， and then we arrived at a cylindrical spiral ladder， which only allows one person to ascend， so people climb one by one to the long and narrow cave in which are the existing murals. The mouth of the cave is very narrow， if two people want to go throw at the same time， they have to slide sideways. The remnants of the murals are drawn on the medial orange wall and， because the caves are low， the murals can be seen clearly. The existed dozens of characters are shirtless， and on the upper part， there are many different types of ABU Sarah scattering flowers， who are in the same body with Gandharvas in India original Buddhism， and changed to Flying Apsaras in Dunhuang frescoes； The murals painted on the lower part are the images of concubines and maids in that time， who also hold flowers in their hands. What the most amazing is that the colors of these paintings which were drawn more than 1500 years ago are very new， and every detail is definitely excellent， delicate and exquisite， and the skin texture of the figures is extremely exquisite， the color of red and orange is the same as painted right now. The posture characteristics of women’s “S” shape are also very obvious， which showed that the form of dancing girls in Dunhuang fresco originated from the south Asian dance. I think that these murals， painted as early as in the North Wei in China and still keeping so bright color， may be benefited from the mineral pigments， especially some rare green pine， topaz， green gold and other precious stones， as well as long-term closed caves. It is left for the archaeologists and artists to carefully reason how they had been drawn on these cliffs. Walking down from the caves， we must go through an arc tube， and on the left side of the low yellow wall， there are looming ancient inscriptions， and it is said that these are one of proofs that the researchers used to determine the age of the murals. After walking through the tunnel， we met with upward steps. Struggling upward， we boarded on a flat rectangular square and there we had a short rest and had a picture before a pair of giant lion claws， which are now the sign of the entrance leading to the rock roof. Everyone looked up at the zigzag metal ladder with a slope of more than 30 degrees， and nobody planned to give up. Although the vertical height is only 100 meters， climbing to the top at one fling is obviously impossible， because the way is crowded and steep. The best way is to make the breathing harmonizing with the moving pace， just in this way， people would not feel tired. At 4：45 p.m. local time， I finally arrived at the “lion’s backbone”， which is also the site of the top part of the former royal palace. After years of excavation， the rock roof is now a rectangular three-tier platform， which has an area of about 2 hectares， and it is said that the royal air courtyard is located there， including the king’s bedroom， reservoirs， banquet hall， assembly hall， etc. Now， besides the limpid water， mottled stone throne and altar， the rest has been destroyed， leaving some residues for people’s reverie.
The stimulation and excitement of “Infinite scene lies in the perilous peak” has removed our tiredness. We were stepping on the ruins of the palace， overlooking the green land， looking up at the sky， as if we were across the time and space and saw the Apsaras and concubines on the walls singing and dancing， Kathy Palmer and his ministers patrolling nervously， the resplendent and magnificent palace collapsed in the war... What else can we see？ Good and evil， beauty and ugliness， creation and destruction， smiles and tears， etc. This is the vicissitudes of life change and the legacy of historical memory， experience， lessons and hope.
The sun quietly disappeared. The sunset glow faded. The twilight gathered. We hurried down the mountain in the west side， with doubts， regrets， and a feeling of harvest. Going through the ruins of the bilateral symmetry of gardens， reservoirs， channels， we suddenly looked back when we were out of the city， the Sigiriya Lion Rock still stood majestically tall and straight in our fuzzy eyes.
Jetavanaramaya The Sacred City of Anuradhapura is located in the north central Sri Lanka， 206 kilometers away from Colombo. Because it is located in the west part of Sri Lanka cultural triangle， the city is called the West Ancient City. The Anuradhapura is the largest concentration of ancient Buddhist temples. From third century BC to tenth century BC， the Ceylon Island has long been controlled by Anuradhapura Dynasty， and its capital was in the West Ancient City. More than 2300 years ago， the prince of Ashoka （Mahendra） lead four monks to this city， and then the Sacred City of Anuradhapura became the earliest Buddhist shrine in Sri Lanka. Experiencing more than a century’s excavation and repair， now the city has been a Buddhist pilgrimage center and tourist resort. Besides the inner city walls and palace ruins， which were built by the king， there are also famous and sacred Buddhist traces， such as big linden tree， copper palace， tooth temple， Abhayagiri Dagaba and Monastery， Ruvanvelisaya Dagaba， etc. We only had time enough to visit an old pagoda， so we visited the largest pagoda in the ancient city---Jetavanaramaya.
I knew little about the early pagoda in Ceylon. Only when I came to Jetavanaramaya can I realize what amazing really is. The body of pagoda is tall and built with red bricks， and located above the quadrate rock. On the top of the pagoda， there is a cuboid which is like a box pointing at the sky. It is seemly close to the traditional Chinese cosmology that the heaven is round and the earth is quadrate. Under the blue sky， the pagoda shows its overweening manner between heaven and earth. The project began in the later 3rd century by the king， and finished by his son， 27 years later， and now the highest pagoda existed in Sri Lanka. When visiting the huge pagoda， people’s first feeling is sublime， solemn and serene， which makes the worshippers awed by the Buddha and Buddhism； at the same time， they will also sincerely praise the greatness of ancient Buddhist architectures and the wisdom of ancient architects and the pains of craftsmen.
When we worshipped around the pagoda， we cannot help focusing on those early sculptures at the base of the building， like a upside-down bowl. At the bottom of the east， the south， the west and the north of the pagoda， there are the convex 9-layer platforms built by red bricks， and there is also a side entrance to the inside of pagoda. The elephant and tiger beasts carved on the rock roof have been damaged， while the stone carvings on both sides are relatively complete. Therefore， we are lucky enough to see the clear and elegant Apsaras with flowers in hands， and the statue of goddess lifting a pot， also shirtless， and the wrapped pants on the legs are made of thin transparent texture. Although they are stronger and simpler than the figures in the murals in Sigiriya Lion Rock， the Apsaras have more enchanting shape characteristics. Again we saw the whole view of fine sculptures of five-headed and seven-headed cobras. Although it is a bit scary， it seems more real and living than the dragon grottoes in Dambulla Cave Temple. We also saw the wolves， lions， elephants and other animals wrapped in flowers in vase， the maids lifting the boxes or strongmen squatting and elevating the vases. There is also a line of engraving picture， on which there are fluency and vivid images of birds and animals that seems made by God... When we looked up at the pagoda in hundred meters away， we could not imagine that there would be so many exquisite stone carvings on its base and they would deeply imprint in our mind and make them hard to be forgotten.
Walking down the steps of the pagoda， I carefully appreciated a circular pot on a pillar. The original animal sculpture around its mouth is incomplete， but five decorative threads around the pot belly are intact. I do not know whether the pot only plays a decorative role， or has other functions. Suddenly I saw a small vessel under the stone， and I picked it up and had a look. It turned out to be a scarlet ceramic plate with a small mouth. I wiped off the sand inside and there appeared yellow and green sediment at the bottom. It had an obvious smell of oil. Finally I found it was a small oil lamp for Buddha， which was so small in front of the huge pagoda， but the meaning it contains is very deep. We feel the endless charm of the Buddhist culture during this trip to Sri Lanka.
（Translated by Gao Meimei）
康提
斯里兰卡实际上是一个山地岛国，古都康提位于首都科伦坡的东北，在斯岛的中央地方。
自公元4世纪释迦牟尼的佛牙被迎送至此，圣城康提在斯里兰卡历史上一直有着极为重要的地位。1592年，斯里兰卡定都康提，王宫和佛牙寺连接一体，成为国家宗教信仰和行政管理的中心。尽管16、17世纪锡兰曾一度被葡萄牙及荷兰殖民者占领，1815年又沦为英国殖民统治，康提依然是斯里兰卡不屈精神的象征。作为南传佛教的一处朝觐圣地，这个依山傍湖的小城已经被联合国教科文组织列入世界文化遗产名录。
康堤佛牙寺位于人工开掘的康提湖北岸。我国东晋后秦高僧法显于公元410年巡行师子国时，见“城中又起佛齿精舍，皆七宝作”（《佛国记》），这应该是关于斯里兰卡佛牙寺最早的文字记载；唐玄奘《大唐西域记》中亦载：“王宫侧有佛牙精舍，高数百尺，莹以珠珍，饰之奇宝。”这则说明7世纪时佛牙寺已和王宫连为一体。但是康提城始建于14世纪，定都于1592年，法显、玄奘所见的佛牙寺应该是在当时的都城阿努拉达普拉，即今西古城内，后来随王宫迁址至康提。
参拜佛牙不允许戴帽穿鞋，拒绝穿短袖衫、短裤、裙子者，也不欢迎穿深色服装者。车子在离佛牙寺一二百米外的路边停靠，大家便光着脚步入寺外的大道，先到殿堂外的空地集结。护城河边宫墙内，一座颇具特色的八角形殿亭首先映入眼帘，据说过去国王常在此接见聚集在殿前空场上的臣民，而且时至今日，国家首脑也仍会在举办某种仪式时于此向公众发表讲话。礼拜佛牙需手持莲朵，于是有人向大家分发各色莲花，各人自行摘去花茎，如系花苞，则将其花瓣一一舒展后，托于掌中。因为观瞻者甚多，大家鱼贯进入寺内后就挤在殿堂底层耐心等待。供奉佛牙的房间在二楼，为便于礼拜，外有厅堂，内设回廊，供着佛牙的宝龛平时有锦幔遮护。佛祖舍利是释迦牟尼涅槃后火化所得，据传除8.4万颗真身舍利子外，尚有顶骨、锁骨、指骨及四颗佛牙舍利等传世，佛传中还有“八王争舍利”故事，化干戈为玉帛之后，佛舍利遂为各国珍藏。我曾瞻拜过北京八大处碧云寺、房山云居寺珍藏的佛舍利和陕西扶风法门寺地宫的指骨（影骨）舍利，斯里兰卡这颗佛牙舍利据说则是公元317年，南印度羯陵伽国国王战败后派其公主将佛牙舍利藏在发髻中，渡海送给锡兰国王的。之后，佛牙被锡兰历代国王视为镇国之宝，建寺塔供奉。据称，现在的佛牙寺集中了康提时期的各种装饰材料、装饰技术与艺术，堪称一座艺术博物馆。
丹布拉石窟
著名的丹布拉石窟位于康提以北60公里处一座山岩的斜坡之上，始凿于公元前1世纪，是斯里兰卡最早的佛教石窟寺。山下的进口广场边，矗立着一所新的类似宫殿的三层建筑，名曰Golden Temple，张开大口的兽头作为大门，三层之上左右两侧各有八角亭供奉着小型佛塔，正中则是高大的金色结迦趺坐释迦牟尼佛像。从殿左沿山坡大道上行约里许，到达一块巨岩下端的石窟寺正式入口处外的小广场，脱鞋存放后，检票进入石窟区。据宾度女士介绍，洞窟的始凿与维拉干王为躲避外敌入侵、寻求神灵庇护有关。2000多年来，这个石窟最初的形态没有太多变化，但历经修建，目前洞内的雕塑、壁画大多是公元13～14世纪后所作，仍与当时的王室关系密切，几乎等于是皇家石窟寺。今天丹布拉寺的主体是五个大小及形状不一、互不相连的洞窟，里面皆有各种造像与壁画，制作年代并不一致，但均带有印度原始宗教或南传佛教锡兰本地的形象和风格。右侧第一个窟内有一尊卧佛长约14米，侧卧姿态与我们在敦煌等地看到的涅槃像不尽相同，特别是佛祖的双眼圆睁——据宾度解释：这符合原始佛典的相关描述，而如何辨认孰为涅槃、孰为入定或安睡？有研究者说要看塑像并拢的双脚脚趾是否并齐，并齐者为涅槃，不齐者则为入定思维。后来我们看了洞窟内几尊卧佛像，确有此不同特征。东晋法显所译《大般涅槃经》中叙述：佛祖涅槃前，其大弟子阿难流泪并拍头高唱：“呜呼苦哉，世间眼灭！”依此，佛涅槃时应当闭眼。此经中国化的意味甚重，似可作为中国的佛涅槃像闭眼之依据；但竺法念所译小乘佛典《长阿含经》中讲阿难默思：“如来未即灭度，世眼未灭。”而此经中佛涅槃时所念偈语有云：“难动而取灭，时地则大动。净眼说诸缘，地动八事动。”这里的“净眼”若可解作“睁眼”，则我理解似证明依小乘经典，佛涅槃之际仍是睁眼看世间的，尔后则可闭眼。斯里兰卡学者的说法是否另有佛典依据，就不得而知了。这里的卧佛身上呈水波纹状的袈裟也都带有薄透的质感，也就是被中国画史上称之为“曹衣出水”者（我以为这可能和中国的家蚕丝织物传入印度、锡兰有关）。佛首所枕却都是绘制精美的莲心团花高枕，这亦与我们在国内所见有别。
丹布拉石窟基本上是利用原有的岩体开凿，自然采光，所以明暗不一，要仔细观瞻里面的雕塑、壁画还得靠灯烛或手电照射。左侧最大一个洞窟内，不仅有48座各式塑像，而且还有完整的供人礼拜的早期形态的佛塔。塑像的形态、装饰、着色差异较大，我以为正显示出南传佛教的特色及时代的差别。有的佛传故事画绘制在洞窟上壁，就得仰头眦目才能约略辨认。我个人觉得这里壁画的年代相对早于塑像，内容、风格也较丰富。另外，窟门门楣上浮雕的人物、动物形象也显示出鲜明的地域风格。当然时间、条件有限，我又缺乏这方面的专业知识，也只能是走马观花了。我们赤脚走在窟外阳光照射的地面上，望着石窟寺内外秀丽的景物，除了脚面的炽热之外，也感觉到了山岩的坚实与内心的充实。
狮子岩
狮子岩是建筑在海拔360米平地上突兀而出的巨大岩体之上的王城与宫殿，山岩高200米，被誉为“世界第八大奇迹”，也已被联合国教科文组织列入世界文化遗产名录。公元477年，摩利耶王朝王子卡西雅帕弑父达图塞那一世登基，他为了躲避与防御为父报仇的同父异母弟弟莫加兰的复仇，用18年时间修筑此碉堡式城阙，但据说只使用了七年就因王朝覆灭而湮没了。过了1000多年，1893年，才由考古学家重新发现，历经近百年的科学发掘、整理，至1982年成为开放游览的著名世界文化遗迹。正午时分，我们乘车来时，从城区道路两旁残存的墙基可以知道起码有内外两道城墙，之间也有护城河环绕。城区东西间距约3公里，南北间距1公里，我们这次观览的重点，则是位于城中心巨大的狮形岩体，尤其是它的洞壁里残存的公元5世纪末的色彩斑斓的壁画。 据说整座狮子岩原先有500多幅壁画，现存的只是很少的部分，大概卡西雅帕王朝灭亡时，也遭到了战火的毁坏。途中，向导先带我们看了两处岩壁上的壁画残迹，然后便到了一架圆筒形盘旋而上的直梯跟前。直梯只容一人登踏，于是一个个顶踵相接而上，这就到了集中观赏壁画的狭长岩洞。洞口很窄，如二人同时行进，就得侧身而过了。残存的壁画就绘制在内侧桔红色的岩壁上，因洞窟低矮，壁画近在眼前，可以看得很清晰。仅存的几十身人物形象均赤裸上身，上层是姿态各异的拈花、捧花、散花的天女阿布萨拉，她在印度原始佛教中与乾闼婆同体，在敦煌壁画中则演变为千姿百态的飞天；下层所绘据说为当时宫廷里的嫔妃与侍女形象，也都拿着供养的花枝。最令人称奇的是，这些1500多年前的绘画均色彩如新，不但冠饰花钿、璎珞项链及臂钏等都描绘得精致细腻，而且人物肌肤质感极强，主色调的赭红、桔黄色仿佛是刚刚涂敷的；女性“S”形的三道弯体态特征也很明显，可证敦煌伎乐天的形态还是源于南亚乐舞。我想，这些相当于我国北魏孝文帝晚期的壁画，留存至今色彩还如此鲜艳，恐怕主要是得益于当时所使用的矿石颜料，尤其是一些稀贵的绿松、黄晶、青金等宝石，同时也与洞窟长期封闭有关。至于它们当初是如何被绘制在峭岩绝壁之上的，就得由考古学家、美术家来细细推究、论证了。
从壁画洞窟下来后，要经过一处弧形甬道，左侧黄色矮墙上有若隐若现的古代题刻，据说研究者确定壁画的绘制年代，有些题刻也是依据之一。过了甬道，又是向上的石阶，奋力上行，我们一行人登上了一个平坦的长方形场地，先休息片刻，顺便在考古家发掘出来的一对巨型狮爪前摄影留念，这狮爪现在成了攀登岩顶入口处的标志。大家仰视附着在岩壁上那“之”字形坡度超过30度的金属梯架，虽未摩拳擦掌，也都鼓足了气力，体弱者也不言放弃。正式攀爬开始了，尽管只有100多米的垂直高度，一鼓作气也显然是行不通的，因为人多路陡，最好是调理好呼吸与迈步节奏，走几十步稍作停顿方不觉疲乏。当地时间下午4点45分，我终于登上了“狮子的脊背”——岩顶，也是昔日皇宫顶端的遗址。经过多年的考古发掘整理，现在的岩顶是一块呈长方形的三层台地，面积约2公顷，据说是皇宫的空中庭园所在地，有国王寝宫、蓄水池、宴会厅、议事堂等。现在，除了那一汪依然清澈的池水和斑驳的石制宝座、供桌外，其余都已灰飞烟灭，只剩下些残基断础供人遐想了。
“无限风光在险峰”的刺激与兴奋，已经消退了我们攀登劳累的感觉。我们踏着当年卡西雅帕皇宫的废墟，俯瞰碧野，仰望苍穹，仿佛穿越时空，看到壁画上那些天女、嫔妃飘然过来在身边轻歌曼舞，看到卡西雅帕和他的大臣们在紧张梭巡，看到这座金碧辉煌的宫殿在战火中轰然倒塌……还能看到些什么呢？善与恶、美与丑、创造与毁灭、微笑与眼泪……城头变换大王旗，丝路重现繁华景，这就是沧桑变迁，这就是历史留给后人的记忆、经验、教训与希望。
夕阳悄然隐没，晚霞消退，暮色渐浓，我们带着收获、疑惑与感慨，匆匆从西边下山，穿过两侧对称的花园、蓄水池、渠道遗址，出城后蓦然回首，在扑簌模糊的泪眼中，那狮子岩依然巍峨耸立、雄伟挺拔。
西古城祇陀林佛塔
阿努拉达普拉古城位于斯里兰卡中北部，距科伦坡206公里，位于斯里兰卡文化三角地区的西部，因此被称为西古城。该城是斯国古佛寺最集中的地方。公元前3世纪至公元10世纪，锡兰岛一直被阿努拉达普拉王朝控制，其首都即在西古城地区。2300多年前，阿育王之子摩哂陀带领四位比丘渡海传法至此城，阿努拉达普拉古城遂成为斯里兰卡最早的佛教圣地。古城区通过一个多世纪以来的发掘、修缮，现在已成为佛教朝觐中心及旅游胜地。现存遗址除潘杜卡巴雅国王所筑的内城城墙、宫殿遗址外，还有名闻遐迩的佛教圣迹——大菩提树、铜宫、佛牙寺、无畏山寺、鲁温维利塔等。因为时间关系，我们只能参观古城现存最大的佛塔——祇陀林大佛塔。
我对锡兰早期佛塔所知甚少，只有来到这座祇陀林塔的跟前，才真切体会到“叹为观止”这个词语的含义。高大的砖红色覆钵型塔身坐落在方形石基之上，钵上有箱形长方体（平头），安放在上面的塔尖（相轮）直指苍穹，似乎和中国传统的天圆地方宇宙观相接近，而在蓝天的映衬下，又显现出天地间唯我独尊的气势。此佛塔由公元3世纪晚期的国王摩诃斯那开始修建，其子摩诃文那完成，前后用时27年，是斯里兰卡现存最高的佛塔。巍巍大塔给人的第一感觉便是崇高、庄严、静穆，使僧俗信众顶礼膜拜时心中升腾起对佛陀、佛法的敬畏；同时，也会由衷地赞美古代佛教建筑艺术的丰伟，赞叹古代建筑师的智慧与工匠的辛劳。
我们在顺时针绕塔巡礼一圈时，不由地都将注意力集中在覆钵基部那些早期的雕刻上。塔的东、南、西、北正四方底部都建有在岩体基石上用红砖砌成的凸形九层台，有侧门通入塔内的空间。那些圆雕在石梁上的象形、虎状兽头大多已经残损，而台基两侧所竖立的石刻却相对完整。于是，我们又有幸看到了清晰而精美的拈花天女、提壶神女雕像，她们同样赤裸上身，腿上裹的长裤同样显示出薄透的质感，虽然比狮子岩的壁画形象粗壮、质朴，却有着更加妩媚的三道弯形体特征；我们又看到了整幅为五头、七头眼镜蛇的细腻刻石，尽管形态有点骇人，却似乎比丹布拉石窟的龙形浮雕更为真实，更加生活化；我们也看到了那宝瓶中冒出的花枝里裹着的狮子、狼、大象等动物形象，看到了托举箱囊的侍女或蹲举着宝瓶的力士；还有一幅线刻图，上面流畅生动的鸟兽形象仿佛是天外来客所为……我们刚才在百米外仰望佛塔时，怎么也不会想到在形似粗犷的覆钵底部，会有这么多精美的石刻可以一饱眼福且沁入脑海，令人难以忘却。
我走下塔基的台阶，仔细鉴赏一个石柱上的圆形石罐，罐口四周原有的动物雕刻早已残缺，但环绕罐肚的五条装饰线却完好如初。此罐仅起装饰作用，还是另有功能，吾所不知。我忽然看见在石柱下有一个小器皿，捡起一看，原来是带有小嘴的朱红色的陶碟，擦掉里面的沙土，露出了碟底部黄绿色的沉淀物，闻之有明显的油味——原来是供佛的一盏小油灯！在巍然佛塔面前，它是那么微小，但一叶知秋，纳须弥于芥子，它所蕴含的奥义，却是求索不尽的。斯国之行，在朦胧迷茫的泪眼中，我们又一次感受了佛教文化的无穷魅力。 Sri Lanka， formerly known as “Ceylon”， was called “Lion’s Country” in China’s ancient books， a metaphor referred to the country now called “Indian Ocean’s tears”. Sri Lanka is， to some scholars who are making researches on the cultural exchanges， an important stop on the maritime Silk Road. But to those people， such as Fa Xian and Xuan Zang， who went to Southern Asia to seek Buddhist sutras through the Western areas， Sri Lanka， already “a market for the businessmen of all countries” in the 5th century， was just one of the terminals on the Silk Road.
Kandy
Sri Lanka is a mountainous island， and the ancient capital， Kandy， is located in the northeast of the capital Colombo， in the center of Sri Lanka Island.
In the 4th century， Buddha’s tooth relic was sent there， and from then on， the holy city Kandy became very important in Sri Lanka’s history. In 1592， Sri Lankan made its capital in Kandy， and the Royal Palace and Sri Dalada Maligawa were connected as one， which became the center of national religion and administration. Although Ceylon was once occupied by the Portuguese and Dutch colonists in the 16th and 17th century， and in 1815 colonized by British， Kandy is still a symbol of indomitable spirit of Sri Lanka. As a pilgrimage shrine of Southern Buddhism， Kandy， which is a small city located between mountains and lakes， has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy is located in the northern shore of Kandy Lake that was an artificial lake. When Fa Xian， an eminent monk of Later Qin Kingdom in the Eastern Jin Dynasty， was investigating Sri Lanka in AD 410， he saw “Sri Lanka is building the temple of Buddha tooth， made with seven treasures” （Foguoji）， which should be the earliest written records of Sri Dalada Maligawa； Da Tang Xi Yu Ji， written by Xuan Zang， also said： “In one side of the palace， there is a perfect Sri Dalada Maligawa， which is decorated with pearls and priceless treasures， and has a height of several hundred feet.” This told us that Sri Dalada Maligawa and the palace had already been connected together in the 7th century. But Kandy city was founded in the 14th century， and made its capital in 1592， so Sri Dalada Maligawa that Fa Xian and Xuan Zang saw should be in Anuradhapura， now it is located in the west of the ancient city， and later Sri Dalada Maligawa was moved to Kandy together with the palace.
People with T-shirt， shorts， skirts and dark clothing are forbidden to enter the temple， and the entrants should take off their shoes and hats. The cars should be parked in a distance of one to two hundred meters away from the Tooth Relic， and the people will walk barefoot into the road outside the Tooth Relic， and gather together in an open space outside the temple. There is a distinctive octagonal temple pavilion inside the moat wall， where it is said that the king often interviewed the people gathering in front of the temple， but today， the heads of state will also make speech to the public when there is a ceremony. When paying respects to the Tooth Relic， people should hold lotus flowers in hands， and the lotus flowers of different colors are distributed， and everyone plucks stems of the flower. If the lotus flower is a bud， the petals should be stretched one by one， and hold in the palms. Because there are large numbers of worshipers， everyone files into the temple and then crowds in the ground floor of the hall patiently. The tooth relic is on the second floor. Due to the convenience to the worshipers， outside the tooth room there is a hall and inside it are corridors. The box in which the tooth relic was placed is usually shielded by brocades. Buddha’s relic is collected from the cremation after Sakyamuni’s Nirvana. It is said that besides 84，000 Buddha’s relics， there are parietal bones， clavicles， phalanges and four teeth relics are handed down from generation to generation. In the biography of Buddha， it is said that “Eight kings fought for the relics”， and after burying the hatchet， the Buddha’s relics were treasured up by many countries. I have worshipped the Buddha’s relics in Temple of Azure Clouds， in Yunju Temple and the phalanx （shadow bone） relics in Famen Temple in Fufeng， Shaanxi. It is said that the tooth relic in Sri Lanka is the one that in 317AD， after the defeat of the war， the king of Kalinga in South India asked his princess to sent the tooth relic， hiding in her hair ，to the king of Ceylon. After that， the tooth relic was considered as the treasure of the country by the kings of Ceylon， and built a temple to put it in and worship. Allegedly， Sri Dalada Maligawa collected variety of decorative materials， techniques and arts in Kandy period， and now it can be called a museum of art. Dambulla Cave Temple
The famous Dambulla Cave Temple， which is located on a slope of a rock 60 kilometers away from the north of Kandy and was built in the first century BC， is the earliest Buddhist cave temple in Sri Lanka. In the side of the square’s entrance， there is a new three-story palace-like building， which is called Golden Temple. Its gate is like an animal head whose mouth is widely open， and on the third floor there are two octagonal pavilions in which there are small pagodas， and the tall golden Buddha Sakyamuni is sitting in the middle. Walking several kilometers along the hillside avenue in the left side of the temple， we arrived at the square in the entrance of the cave temple， and after taking off and storing shoes， we entered the grotto area. According to Ms. Bindu， these caves have a relationship with the king Vera who tried to avoid invasion and seek a refuge of the Gods. More than 2000 years passed and the grotto’s original form did not change very much， but most of the current sculptures and murals inside the cave have been constructed since the 13th and 14th century AD， and these sculptures were closely related with the royal family then， and it was in fact the royal cave temple. The main part of today’s Dambulla Cave Temple is five caves who have different sizes and shapes and do not connect to each other， in which there are various statues and murals made in different ages but have the image and style of India’s original religion or local Ceylon religion. In the right side of the first cave， there is a statue of Buddha which has a height of 14 meters， and its posture is almost the same as those in Dunhuang and other places， particularly Buddha’s wide open eyes. According to Bindu’s explanation， this is consistent with the description of the original scriptures， in which ways to identify Nirvana， meditation and sleep weredescriped. Some researchers say that if the statue’s feet place together and the toes are neat， it is in Nirvana； otherwise it is meditating. And then we visited several Buddha statues， which really show these different characteristics. In a scripture translated by Fa Xian， it is said that before the nirvana of Buddha， his oldest disciple Ananda tore and chanted： “Alas， the eyes in the world are off！” So， based on this， the Buddha’s eyes should be closed when in Nirvana. This is the basis of the nirvana of China’s Buddha； but in the scriptures translated by Zhu Fanian there is different explanation. My understanding is that the Buddha’s eyes stayed open to see the world before he was in nirvana， and then closed his eyes. We do not know what the Buddhist scholars of Sri Lankan said is grounded or not. The body of Buddha is covered with thin and transparent texture. I think this may have a relationship with Chinese silk fabrics introduced into India and Ceylon. The pillows that the Buddha used are the ones with beautiful drawn floral lotus on them， which are different from what we saw in China. Dambulla Cave Temple is chiseled in the original rocks and no lamps are used. If you want to carefully visit the sculptures and the murals， you have to rely on candle or flashlight. In the largest cave in the left， there are not only 48 statues of different types， but also the early forms of sputa of integrity for people to worship. The statues’ form， decoration and coloring are quite different， which shows the features of Southern Buddhism and the differences of ages. Some Buddha stories are drawn on the wall of the cave， which make you look up to have a rough recognition. Personally speaking， I think the murals here are earlier than the statues， and their content and style are also more plentiful. In addition， the figures and animals on the cave door lintel also shows the distinct regional styles. Because of limited time and condition， and lacking of the expertise in this area， I can only learn about the superficial knowledge. We walked barefoot on the ground full of sunlight， and looked at the beautiful sceneries inside and outside the cave temple. Besides the hot feelings on the foot， we also felt the solidness of the rocks and the delight within our heart.
Sigiriya Lion Rock
Sigiriya Lion Rock， which was built on a huge rock with an altitude of 360 meters， is a palace. The rock has a height of 200 meters， so Sigiriya is known as the “the eighth wonder of the world”， and it has also been included in UNESCO World Heritage List. In 477 AD， the prince of Mo Liye Dynasty （Kaxiyapa） killed his father and became the king. In order to avoid and defend his brother’s revenge， he spent 18 years in building the gate tower， but it was said that the tower was destroyed seven years later together with the Dynasty’s destruction. After 1，000 years， in 1893， the archaeologists re-discovered it， and after nearly a century’s scientific excavation and sorting， finally in 1982， it became a world famous cultural relic open to the world people to visit. At noon， when we travelled there， judging from the remnants of the city walls on both sides of the road we can know that there are at least two inner and outer walls， and there is also a moat between them. The city is about 3 kilometers long from the west to the east， and about one kilometer wide from the north to the south. Our interest of the visit is a huge lion-shaped rock， which is located in the center of the city， especially its colorful murals made in the 5th century.
It is said that the entire Sigiriya Lion Rock had more than 500 original murals， but only a small part of them survived. Maybe they were destroyed by the war when Kathy Palmer Dynasty perished. On the way， the guide showed us two remnants of murals， and then we arrived at a cylindrical spiral ladder， which only allows one person to ascend， so people climb one by one to the long and narrow cave in which are the existing murals. The mouth of the cave is very narrow， if two people want to go throw at the same time， they have to slide sideways. The remnants of the murals are drawn on the medial orange wall and， because the caves are low， the murals can be seen clearly. The existed dozens of characters are shirtless， and on the upper part， there are many different types of ABU Sarah scattering flowers， who are in the same body with Gandharvas in India original Buddhism， and changed to Flying Apsaras in Dunhuang frescoes； The murals painted on the lower part are the images of concubines and maids in that time， who also hold flowers in their hands. What the most amazing is that the colors of these paintings which were drawn more than 1500 years ago are very new， and every detail is definitely excellent， delicate and exquisite， and the skin texture of the figures is extremely exquisite， the color of red and orange is the same as painted right now. The posture characteristics of women’s “S” shape are also very obvious， which showed that the form of dancing girls in Dunhuang fresco originated from the south Asian dance. I think that these murals， painted as early as in the North Wei in China and still keeping so bright color， may be benefited from the mineral pigments， especially some rare green pine， topaz， green gold and other precious stones， as well as long-term closed caves. It is left for the archaeologists and artists to carefully reason how they had been drawn on these cliffs. Walking down from the caves， we must go through an arc tube， and on the left side of the low yellow wall， there are looming ancient inscriptions， and it is said that these are one of proofs that the researchers used to determine the age of the murals. After walking through the tunnel， we met with upward steps. Struggling upward， we boarded on a flat rectangular square and there we had a short rest and had a picture before a pair of giant lion claws， which are now the sign of the entrance leading to the rock roof. Everyone looked up at the zigzag metal ladder with a slope of more than 30 degrees， and nobody planned to give up. Although the vertical height is only 100 meters， climbing to the top at one fling is obviously impossible， because the way is crowded and steep. The best way is to make the breathing harmonizing with the moving pace， just in this way， people would not feel tired. At 4：45 p.m. local time， I finally arrived at the “lion’s backbone”， which is also the site of the top part of the former royal palace. After years of excavation， the rock roof is now a rectangular three-tier platform， which has an area of about 2 hectares， and it is said that the royal air courtyard is located there， including the king’s bedroom， reservoirs， banquet hall， assembly hall， etc. Now， besides the limpid water， mottled stone throne and altar， the rest has been destroyed， leaving some residues for people’s reverie.
The stimulation and excitement of “Infinite scene lies in the perilous peak” has removed our tiredness. We were stepping on the ruins of the palace， overlooking the green land， looking up at the sky， as if we were across the time and space and saw the Apsaras and concubines on the walls singing and dancing， Kathy Palmer and his ministers patrolling nervously， the resplendent and magnificent palace collapsed in the war... What else can we see？ Good and evil， beauty and ugliness， creation and destruction， smiles and tears， etc. This is the vicissitudes of life change and the legacy of historical memory， experience， lessons and hope.
The sun quietly disappeared. The sunset glow faded. The twilight gathered. We hurried down the mountain in the west side， with doubts， regrets， and a feeling of harvest. Going through the ruins of the bilateral symmetry of gardens， reservoirs， channels， we suddenly looked back when we were out of the city， the Sigiriya Lion Rock still stood majestically tall and straight in our fuzzy eyes.
Jetavanaramaya The Sacred City of Anuradhapura is located in the north central Sri Lanka， 206 kilometers away from Colombo. Because it is located in the west part of Sri Lanka cultural triangle， the city is called the West Ancient City. The Anuradhapura is the largest concentration of ancient Buddhist temples. From third century BC to tenth century BC， the Ceylon Island has long been controlled by Anuradhapura Dynasty， and its capital was in the West Ancient City. More than 2300 years ago， the prince of Ashoka （Mahendra） lead four monks to this city， and then the Sacred City of Anuradhapura became the earliest Buddhist shrine in Sri Lanka. Experiencing more than a century’s excavation and repair， now the city has been a Buddhist pilgrimage center and tourist resort. Besides the inner city walls and palace ruins， which were built by the king， there are also famous and sacred Buddhist traces， such as big linden tree， copper palace， tooth temple， Abhayagiri Dagaba and Monastery， Ruvanvelisaya Dagaba， etc. We only had time enough to visit an old pagoda， so we visited the largest pagoda in the ancient city---Jetavanaramaya.
I knew little about the early pagoda in Ceylon. Only when I came to Jetavanaramaya can I realize what amazing really is. The body of pagoda is tall and built with red bricks， and located above the quadrate rock. On the top of the pagoda， there is a cuboid which is like a box pointing at the sky. It is seemly close to the traditional Chinese cosmology that the heaven is round and the earth is quadrate. Under the blue sky， the pagoda shows its overweening manner between heaven and earth. The project began in the later 3rd century by the king， and finished by his son， 27 years later， and now the highest pagoda existed in Sri Lanka. When visiting the huge pagoda， people’s first feeling is sublime， solemn and serene， which makes the worshippers awed by the Buddha and Buddhism； at the same time， they will also sincerely praise the greatness of ancient Buddhist architectures and the wisdom of ancient architects and the pains of craftsmen.
When we worshipped around the pagoda， we cannot help focusing on those early sculptures at the base of the building， like a upside-down bowl. At the bottom of the east， the south， the west and the north of the pagoda， there are the convex 9-layer platforms built by red bricks， and there is also a side entrance to the inside of pagoda. The elephant and tiger beasts carved on the rock roof have been damaged， while the stone carvings on both sides are relatively complete. Therefore， we are lucky enough to see the clear and elegant Apsaras with flowers in hands， and the statue of goddess lifting a pot， also shirtless， and the wrapped pants on the legs are made of thin transparent texture. Although they are stronger and simpler than the figures in the murals in Sigiriya Lion Rock， the Apsaras have more enchanting shape characteristics. Again we saw the whole view of fine sculptures of five-headed and seven-headed cobras. Although it is a bit scary， it seems more real and living than the dragon grottoes in Dambulla Cave Temple. We also saw the wolves， lions， elephants and other animals wrapped in flowers in vase， the maids lifting the boxes or strongmen squatting and elevating the vases. There is also a line of engraving picture， on which there are fluency and vivid images of birds and animals that seems made by God... When we looked up at the pagoda in hundred meters away， we could not imagine that there would be so many exquisite stone carvings on its base and they would deeply imprint in our mind and make them hard to be forgotten.
Walking down the steps of the pagoda， I carefully appreciated a circular pot on a pillar. The original animal sculpture around its mouth is incomplete， but five decorative threads around the pot belly are intact. I do not know whether the pot only plays a decorative role， or has other functions. Suddenly I saw a small vessel under the stone， and I picked it up and had a look. It turned out to be a scarlet ceramic plate with a small mouth. I wiped off the sand inside and there appeared yellow and green sediment at the bottom. It had an obvious smell of oil. Finally I found it was a small oil lamp for Buddha， which was so small in front of the huge pagoda， but the meaning it contains is very deep. We feel the endless charm of the Buddhist culture during this trip to Sri Lanka.
（Translated by Gao Meimei）