Beautiful Temples In Colombo-Gangarama
Gangarama temple is located in the heart of Colombo and it is very easy to find for any visitor to the country. It is picturesquely located bordering Beira Lake, the largest lake in Colombo. Gangarama had been a small Buddhist construction in the 1800s. A follower of renowned scholar-monk Hikkaduwa Sri Sumangala Thera started it.
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Beautiful Temples In Colombo-Gangarama
Gangarama is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful temples in Colombo. it is a Buddhist temple and one of the leading attractions in the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka. The temple is a tourist hotspot in the city and attracts a large number of travellers; it is included in most road trips of Sri Lanka. There are several beautiful temples in Colombo, like Gangarama, but Gangarama stands out in the crowd due to its historical background. Kelaniya Temple and Gotham Raja Maha Vihara are also beautiful temples in Colombo and have a long history; however, those temples are not very popular among travellers.
The history of Gangarama temple
Gangarama temple is located in the heart of Colombo and it is very easy to find for any visitor to the country. It is picturesquely located bordering Beira Lake, the largest lake in Colombo. Gangarama had been a small Buddhist construction in the 1800s. A follower of renowned scholar-monk Hikkaduwa Sri Sumangala Thera started it. The disciple who constructed the temple was called Sri Jinaratana Thera. If you have booked a Sri Lanka tour itinerary with a Colombo sightseeing tour, then you will not miss this temple, which ranks among the beautiful temples in Colombo in the heart of the city.
What to see in Gangarama temple
The temple has an interesting collection of Buddha statues and god figures from Buddhist countries around the world. Therefore, Gamgarama Buddhist Temple is not only a place to see traditional Sri Lanka Buddha statues but also the Buddha done in various other styles and postures.
The visitors of the temple are welcomed by Makara thorana or dragon arch, at the main entrance of the temple premises. The beautiful dragon arch at the entrance of the temple is beautifully decorated with various incidents of Buddha’s life.
Perhaps the image house is the most attractive compartment in the temple. The visitors come to the image house after entering the temple through Makara Thorana. At the centre of the image is a huge meditating Buddha statue. This modern statue is accompanied by several other statues on either side of it. The wall paintings of the image house depict various scenes pertaining to the life of Buddha and Buddhism of Sri Lanka. These paintings belong to the school of modern arts.
The dagoba of Gangarama is not built to a large size but it is well maintained. Bo-tree of Gangarama is placed on an elevated platform, and the platform is about 2 metres in height. The devotees need to go up a flight of steps in order to worship the tree. Another interesting spot of the temple is the twenty-eight image chambers that are located next to the Bo-tree. Twenty-eight image chambers and a relic chamber are also some of the most important attractions oof theGangarama Buddhist temple. Large collections of rare books written in various subjects and languages are safely deposited in the museum. One needs to get the permission of the monks before entering the museum.
Apart from the main building described above, of Gangarama temple near Braybrook place, there is another interesting part of the temple known as Simamalaka near Sir James Peiris Mawatha, at the centre of Beira Lake. These two parts of the temple are located about 500 meters away from each other. Simamalaka is a chapter house and it follows the ancient Sri Lanka architecture. It was used for the purpose of meditation by the resident monks. The chapter house was built in 1976.
Chapterhouse was a gift for the monks of Gangarama by Mr and Mrs Moosagee, who were non-Buddhists. The building was designed by veteran architect Geoffrey Bawa. There are several Buddha statues with historical value in the chapter house. Next, the chapter house is a Bo-tree and a Buddha statue under the canopy of the Bo-tree. There are several other figures representing Wishnu, Ganesh, Skanda and Sunium gods outside of the chapter house.
Seema Malakaya Meditation Centre
This is a temple that belongs to Gangaramaya temple. This beautiful place designed by one of Sri Lankan best architect Geoffrey Bawa. This temple located in the middle of the lake. This temple covered with a short white wall and on this wall numerous statues of Buddha sitting in different poses. On your visit, stop walking and sit down. Enjoy the calm of being on the water. The hustle and bustle of the city, although close, seems to be a lesson. In the afternoon, this place bright with colourful lights.
This place located near to well-known Ganagaramaya temple. You can hire tuk from here to “Sir James Pieris Mawatha” You will be able to see the water temple from that location.
Nawam Maha Perehera
The temple comes to the fore every year in the month of February as the most beautiful pageant of Colombo parades on the streets of the city. The procession is held on the full moon day of February and is called Nawam Maha Perahera. The procession is organised in honour of the relic as well as a rainmaking ceremony. The day is especially dedicated to renewing the memory of Arahath Sariyuth and Mugallan, who were the chief disciples of Buddha. Earlier, the procession was held in the month of July. Later, it was abandoned due to various reasons. The present procession was started after a brief period of interval under the direction of former president Hon. Ranasinghe Premadasa.
A large collection of rare and valuable antiques can be discovered in the temple. Antique vehicles, old computers, antique furniture, jewellery, ornaments, and many other ancient artistic works are among the collection. A museum with a large number of statues, precious stones, and ivories attracts the attention of all visitors to Gangarama.
