Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

A nice cosy Sunday evening...and after the storm, it feels even more relaxing...and it just feels perfect to end the day with a post here...cos seriously, I really have a lot of catching up to do...so Ill just skip the chit chat too :)

First is a card I received from dear Sissel almost two years ago...when Sri Lanka was one of the cool places she got to visit...and of course sent me a bunch of surprises! ❤

And it is also a UNESCO whs! It's not so easy to get UNESCO cards from such exotic/rare countries, so this one feels even more special to me!

here you can see Polonnaruwa, that is considered to be the second most ancient of Sri Lanka's kingdoms. It was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 to reunite the country once more under a local leader
In particular, this card gives us a view of the Polonnaruwa Vatadage, which is believed to have been built during the reign of Parakramabahu I to hold the tooth relic of the Buddha, or during the reign of Nissanka Malla to hold the alms bowl used by the Buddha. It is the best preserved example of a vatadage in the country, and has been described as the "ultimate development" of this type of architecture.

For those wondering, vatadage is simply a word referring to a type of Buddhist structure found in Sri Lanka, also known as dage, thupagara, and cetiyagara. Although it may have had some Indian influence, it is a structure that is more or less unique to ancient Sri Lankan architecture

I've seen these small stamps before, but just now I realized that they are zodiac related - issued in 2007 in a set of 16, representing different constellations, and here you can see the Cancer, the Gemini, the Libra and the Scorpio...the big stamp was issued in 2012, presenting a Sri Lankan insurance building

thanks again and again dear Sissel!