Anuradhapura post

This covers my images from Sri Lanka's first capital.

 These rosettes seemed to replace the 'live' lotus flowers placed before many buddhas.

 A colony of bats living outside a temple early in the day.

 This is THE sacred Bo tree Ficus religiosus, which has grown from a cutting of the tree under which Buddha gained enlightenment.  As I understood the narrative a King in Sri Lanka requested a cutting from the original tree and was given it by a King in India who spent a lot of time maintaining the original.  The Indian queen was jealous of the tree and somehow got it chopped down and burnt!

 Note the supports for the branches.

 This was once the tallest stupa but its point has fallen off.

 A festival gate.

 This is now the tallest stupa. 

 The wall around the tallest stupa with a good array of elephant images.

 A very well carved guard stone.  Note particularly cocky dwarf!

 An excellently carved moonstone.