By Ransak Bandara Kavisekara
One day, our teacher told us something very exciting – it was about our educational excursion! She said we would be going to Yapahuwa Rock Fortress, the Cathedral Church of Christ the King, Rambodagalla Monaragala Temple, and Ridi Viharaya. I was thrilled! Then our teacher gave us reply slips to take home and get filled out. I went home, got it signed, and prepared all the important things for the 6th of June.
The day finally came! The 6th of June arrived faster than I expected. I woke up at 5:00 a.m., very excited to start the journey. I got ready and went to school around 5:30 a.m., where everyone had gathered in the Junior School hall. First, we prayed together, and then our Headmistress, Mrs. Tissera, spoke to us and gave us important instructions. We set off on our journey at around 6:00 a.m. We said goodbye to our parents and left.
I was bursting with joy, and our big bus even had colourful and disco lights! It was amazing. At first, everyone was having fun singing and dancing. But soon, we started to feel a bit hungry, so we shared snacks with each other. Then it was breakfast time, and we enjoyed our meals.
Our first destination was the Yapahuwa Rock Fortress. It felt like being inside an oven – it was so hot! We saw the many steps we had to climb to reach the top, and we began the climb. Some even crawled! After reaching the top, it felt like I had climbed Mount Everest. But climbing down was even harder. After we came down, a guide explained the history of the Yapahuwa Rock Fortress. The most interesting thing I learned was that the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha was once kept there. The staircase was specially designed at a 72-degree angle so that no one could steal the relic and run away. After that, we visited a small museum where we saw amazing statues, historical coins, and even old vases.
Next, we got back on the bus and went to the Cathedral Church of Christ the King in Kurunegala. We went inside and learned about the church and the Diocese of Kurunegala. Afterward, everyone asked the Reverend Father questions about Christianity.
Then we went to the hotel for lunch. It was splendid – totally splendid! The hotel was named “The Hangout.” We had delicious fried rice for lunch and ice cream for dessert.
After lunch, we visited the Rambodagalla Monaragala Temple. We gradually climbed the rock to see the “Prathima Vahanse” Buddha statue, which was built in 2001. We were fortunate to worship the world’s tallest granite Samadhi Buddha statue. Then we climbed down the rock, got into the bus, and headed home. Although we had planned to visit Ridi Viharaya, we ran out of time. Still, we had a fun journey back and returned to school after that thrilling trip.
I hope that one day I’ll get to go on a trip like this again!
