Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1904-06-08
SLEEPING BUDDHA's SHRINE
Cave in Ceylon Wherein Has Lain
for Two Thousand Years the
Rock Hewn Image.


This is story Of a visit to the
sleeping Buddha in Nirvana, in the cave
shrine in Ceylon, where 1000 years ago
the teachings of Buddha we're for the
first time reduced to writing, writes a
special correspondent of the Philadel-
phia Record. AT the end Of a lane OF
foliage a steep flight of rough stone
steps led to a high parapet, where a
yellow shoulder showed against a
background of black bowlder, with 90
Goa fronts arching higher against the
blue. We went around by an easier
ascent, up a grassy path, between can
tana bushes, and came upon the high
terrace, to find the clerical had fed,
and only betel chewing layman was
left to stare at US as he slowly worked
his jaws. We turned an invisible key
in air, and the ruminant biped went
away across fiat sand space between
two gigantic powders, more powders
looming ahead
The ledge beneath one overhanging
rock was built up with masonry
front into recessed temple portico,
and from dark crevice between two
vast rocks came a sound of whirring
machinery. 1t was pitch dark in the
far crevice, and as we drew nearer the
sound resolved itself into the twitter-
ing of myriad of bats, and the
sitting odor drove us away after q
short look into the dark, Dantesque
crevice. Surely there was black, cave
crevice swarming with bats in some
circle of the inferno.
Around the shoulder of a greater
bowlder a languid person was pushing
refuse cocoanut husks over the edge OF
slope into thicket, and in a. little
construction built in under the over
hang Of the vast rock the priest was
shutting into his better and newer
yellow robe, his company clothes that
picturesquely appeal to the foreigner
who snapshots and gives
The big keys clanked, the locks
turned and the doors of the cave sane
tuary creaked open to show patchwork
and Nottingham lace curtains hanging
close across the inner space They
were drawn aside for us to see the rock
Buddha to Nirvana, who has been
dreaming in the dark, fragrant cave
for full 1000 years.
Little candles were carried down and
held close to show the soles of the
Buddha's feet, with the symbolic
markings, carried to the opposite end
to show the memorable, expressionless
countenance of the wide-eyed sleeper.
The shrine had been opened at sun
rise and fresh flowers strewn on the
long stone altar table that ran the full
18 feet length of the image, and the air
was heavy with their scent
Image and platform couch and the
altar table were all. hewn from the
immovable rock 1000 years ago, but
one gets no impression of antiquity,
since the image has been lately done
over, made up with fresh paint, and
gliding to the last degree of gaudy
splendor
No one of the company would haz-
ard statement as to which spot
among, under or within the vast rock
masses had sheltered the convocation
of monks when they reduced oral ira
ditions to written history; but it is
probable that so large company of
holy men were scattered through the
neighborhood, each with a cave, tree
or the shadow of a great rock as his
resting place, where he wrote out his
version to submit it to the discussion
of the full company before the text
was made final
There is fine view back to the Ma
tale mountains and out to the hills
and the descending valleys Of rice that
lie in checkered shades of green and
gold between the brilliant green of the
tea bushes and the blue of the duller
foliage of the shaded cacao planta-
tons.
The Natalie mountains rise to wood
ed heights Of 5000 feet. and all the
way from Handy both the railway and
the coach road had been on a gentle
down grade from that 1000 foot level
Fleecy white clouds blew across the
purest blue sky, palm fronds bent
glistening In the breeze, and the leaves
of the DO tree by the old vihara clashed
together with a fresh sound as Of rain.
1t was all paradise and picturesque
ness as we drove away, until at bend
in the road we came upon the green
compound, the painfully neat build
ings, of the governments free dispen-
sary and cholera hospital-a serpent
in the Eden, after all.
Fastidious Tastes.
story REGARDING q convartadi har.