It was a Full moon Poya Day, which was a public holiday for all Sri Lankans. On this day Buddhists go to temples, perform austerities and engage in merit-boosting. Instead of performing austerities, we go to a temple and offer flowers to Load Buddha and light an oil lamp. Every Poya day, we have a practice of visiting a different temple in Sri Lanka that we haven't been to before.
This time, we intended to travel to the 70-kilometer-away Anugulimala Maha Seya and Mahamevunawa temples in Bowatta and Kuliyapitiya, respectively. My daughter-in-law’s parents and their family members are also joining us at our destination. They should travel 139 kilometers to get to us from Hingurakgoda.
At about 6.45 a.m. my husband, my son, my daughter-in-law, and me left the house. This time we have a special little guest, a baby squirrel that I rescue. Every two hours, we give him milk to drink. We were therefore unable to leave him at home alone. So we went along with him.
On the way, we had our breakfast, hoppers, from a village boutique. At this time, we fed our baby squirrel too.
We both group met at the temple, where we all presented flowers to Buddha statue. This was a modern temple that was constructed two years ago. We spent over two hours at the Angulimala Maha Seya temple. Then, with the intention of meeting at the Mahamewna Asapuwa temple in Kuliyapitiya, we departed.
After traveling for 30 minutes, we arrived in Mahameuna Asapuwa. We decided to eat lunch at the vehicle park because it was time for lunch. From home, we brought lunch and curries. My daughter's mother had brought rice, baby jack curries, and sambal. We brought dhal, beans, and dry fish curries. So, at the parking lot, we all shared them. After enjoying some ice cream, we next set off for Mahamewuna Asapuwa.
The well-known and stunning Mahamewuna Asapuwa temple was constructed by Kiribathgoda Gnananda Thero. There were many places to visit. There were many lush trees all around the shrine. Even though it's quite hot in Sri Lanka these days, we feel cool when entering this temple because it's surrounded by lush trees.
Beautiful bonsai plants were placed throughout the temple, adding to its overall attractiveness. Inside either temple, we were not permitted to take photos. However, I was able to take some images of Mahamewuna Asapuwa from the outside of the temple.
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We never forget to keep our baby squirrel in the car, as it was difficult for him to breathe, as all the doors and shutters are locked. Therefore, we accompanied him everywhere we walked in our handbags.
We depart from the temple after presenting flowers, lighting an oil lamp, and incense sticks. The time was about 4.00 p.m. Once more, we gathered at the parking lot and drank some Coca-Cola and Sprite. After spending some time chatting together, we said goodbye to each other.
We could get back to our house around 6.30 p.m. as we make stops along the road to get some necessities. After eating dinner that we purchased en route, we headed to bed at around 7:30. Before that, I signed into Steemit, published a blog post, and went to bed.
My dear friends, this is my diary entry for April 5. If you think it's nice, kindly comment and cast your vote. I hope you all have a good day.