As I sat down to brainstorm ideas for my blog post, the Vesak Poya day had already arrived. With a long weekend ahead of us, my wife and I discussed our plans for the day. We decided to keep it low-key and stay close to home, especially since my wife and daughter had recently recovered from a brief illness.

As Vesak Poya is a significant day for every Buddhist family, I recommended visiting the Ridi Viharaya in Ridigama and the newly unveiled tallest Samadhi Buddha statue in Rambodagalla. Luckily, both places were only a few miles away from Abimansala-3 and not too far from my home either. These destinations hold immense spiritual value and cultural significance, making them ideal places to visit on Vesak Poya.

Setting off at 9 in the morning, we took the Kurunegala Kapitigala road towards our destination. Thanks to the nearly completed roadwork and well-placed guidelines at each junction, our journey to the Ridi Vihara was a breeze. Located in the small village of Ridi gama, a mere 18 kilometers from Kurunegala, the Ridi Vihara is an ancient cave temple with a rich history dating back to the era of King Dutugamunu. It is believed that the silver needed to complete the great RuwanweliSeya stupa was found at this very location, and as an expression of gratitude, King Dutugamunu created the Ridi Vihara cave temple here. The temple boasts a number of caves, all adorned with hundreds of ancient paintings, Buddha statues, and carvings.

For a visually impaired person, navigating the Ridi Vihara can be quite challenging due to the numerous steps. However, with the help of a knowledgeable guide, one can still get a feel for the place. Despite the scorching heat, the temple was brimming with devotees. After paying our respects at several cave viharas, offering flowers and lighting oil lamps, we made our way to Rambodagalla to witness the tallest Samadhi Buddha statue recently unveiled in Sri Lanka. Although it was just 5 kilometers away from Ridi Vihara, heavy traffic caused our journey to take nearly an hour.

I had heard that the Samadhi Buddha statue in Rambodagalla is truly breathtaking and that a tremendous amount of effort went into carving it out of a rock. The idea for this colossal statue was born in response to the destruction of the massive Buddha statues in Bamiyan, Afghanistan. The statue stands at an impressive height of 67.5 feet and took nearly 13 years to complete. Although the statue is already a remarkable sight to behold, we were notified via a PA system that there is still some work to be done.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t spend as much time as we wanted at the Samadhi Buddha statue in Rambodagalla due to the scorching heat of the granite pathway and the compound of the statue. My wife had a tough time carrying our 4-year-old daughter all the way up to the statue, as our daughter refused to walk after my wife denied her a toy she demanded on the way up. While the gradual inclining pathway up to the statue was easy to navigate, the intense heat made it a challenging climb. I highly recommend visiting this must-see destination when the sun is not as strong. Our journey concluded with a few delightful Dansals, starting with bread and finishing with soup, leaving my wife and daughter extremely pleased with our day.