Ranmasu Uyana

Welcome to Ranmasu Uyana, the 'Goldfish Park'. You have stepped out of the austere, religiously charged monastic precincts and into the luxurious realm of ancient Sinhalese royalty. …

Our first point of interest is the water delivery system. Look toward the massive earthen wall of the Tissa Wewa reservoir looming above the park. …

We now approach the core feature of the gardens: the rock bathing pools. Notice how completely different these are from the Twin Ponds. …

At the edge of one of the main bathing pools, look closely at the rock face near the waterline. Much like the nearby Isurumuniya temple, you will find exquisite, shallow-relief carvings of elephants playfully splashing in the…

We now arrive at the most enigmatic artifact in Ranmasu Uyana, and perhaps all of Sri Lanka. Look at this large, circular carving etched into the sheer face of a boulder. …

Directly opposite the 'Stargate' carving, notice the four small stone seats carved directly out of the bedrock. They face the mysterious diagram. …

As we conclude our walk through the gardens, let us pause by the water channels and remember the legend of Prince Saliya and Asokamala. The chronicles state that Asokamala was picking Kadupul flowers (a rare, night-blooming…

Our exploration of Ranmasu Uyana, the Royal Pleasure Gardens, concludes. We have traversed a landscape where nature and architecture were perfectly hybridized to serve the leisure of kings. …