Sri Lanka-3

36 Building the railway line took place under severe conditions. Many of the three thousand workers died of malaria and cholera. 37 Mainline goes through very rough country. It goes through ravines and gorges and cuttings and fillings and embankments, and tunneling - there are 42 tunnels from Colombo to Badulla - it was tedious work in the time, at the time of construction. 38 And the labour was not co-operative; and we had no mechanization at all; no kind of modernized equipment for drilling, on laying the tracks: all by human labour. So it was difficult. 39 However, the soil which proved so tiresome during the construction of the railway line harbours treasures, too. There are lots of different gemstones in the ground. 40 They adorn the crowns of monarchs and the jewelry of adored women; as a result, Sri Lanka has a long and lucrative tradition of goldsmithery. These days, it's mostly for tourists. That brings in good money. 41 A goldsmith earns around 200 Euros a month. 42 Gems came into the limelight of human life because each and every gem carries a power to heal certain diseases. This was medication at the beginning; even though now, it has become a fashionable thing or a smart time thing. 42 Sapphires in many different colours. The design is also made in Sri Lanka. 43 We're about to reach Kandy. We've travelled 130 kilometers in three and a half hours 44 The climate is significantly more pleasant at 500 meters. 45 Kandy was once the capital of the Singhalese kings, and the epitome of Singhalese culture. 46 The kings were able to defend their independence from the colonial powers for centuries here. 47 The station was opened as far back as 1867. 48 The blue water lily: Sri Lanka's national flower is sold here. It's often used as a sacrificial gift at Buddhist temples. 49 One of the most significant in the whole of Sri Lanka is Sri Dalidamaligawa: the temple of the sacred tooth. 50 The most important Buddhist relic in Sri Lanka is kept here: the Buddha’s upper left cuspid. A significant symbol of national pride. 51 People come from all around the world to attend the daily services; they donate; and they pray. 52 The ninety-minute puja starts at half-past nine. The word means something like, 'worship', and is an important ritual in everyday Buddhist life. 53 According to legend, the Sacred tooth is said to store the Buddha's spiritual strength. This belief also turned this religious relic into a political instrument of power for the Singhalese kings. 54 Sri Lanka was ruled by Kings. There were seven royal ruling periods. In 1815, the British conquered Kandy and with it, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth. As an important symbol of power in Sri Lanka. 55 Patiently waiting outside the chamber where the relic is housed. 56 Visitors only get to see a container. The tooth isn't on display. It's said to be housed in an ivory capsule - which in turn is encased in six further containers. 57 It's thanks to the Temple that Kandy is on Unesco's list of world heritage sites 58 There's a further spectacle worth watching, right next to the temple, in the late afternoon. The bats - otherwise known as flying foxes - are getting comfortable. 59 Kandy is also known for its dance performances. These men and women are just getting ready for one. The tradition dates back to the time of the last kings of Kandy. 60 This dance troupe has performed since 1932. In the past, the dance was for the entertainment of the king. If the king was sick, the dance was used to cure him. We even had healing festivals. 61 Today the dances are mostly for the tourists. Waidiyawathi comes from a long line of dancers. The dancing tradition is passed on from generation to generation. 61 The training is tough, and starts every day at five in the morning. Performances take place all year round, with very little time off. 62 The performances consist of up to eleven different items. Balancing these disks is called the Raban dance. The performance lasts for about an hour