Nestled in the heart of Colombo’s commercial district is the famous Gangaramya Temple, well recognised as an excellent travelling destination for local and foreign tourists and pilgrims. The main temple is located near the Seema Malaka Temple, which in itself is a site worth visiting as it practically emerges from the Beira Lake and is a great place to spend a bit of time relaxing. Travellers looking to visit the area would find it an ideal base in which to book their stay. It won’t take you long to find a Colombo city hotel within your budget in the Fort area; one option is The Steuart by Citrus. Exploring the main Temple, one comes across two golden Buddha statues at the entrance. The main door is intricately carved with elephants and swans depicting Sri Lanka’s ancient traditional craftsmanship. The main temple hall has a massive Buddha statue resting in a meditative pose with figures of heavenly Gods flanking it. The ceiling is decorated with paintings depicting Buddhist stories and the columns are decorated with traditional Sri Lankan art. The statues depict the various faces and styles of Buddhism including Sri Lankan, Chinese, Thai and Burmese.
Many devotees come dressed in white as a sign of purity and respect to offer flowers to the Buddha, light oil lamps and burn incense in the outer courtyard before chanting prayers. The Bodhi tree and coral-white Stupa are found in the outer courtyard, contributing to the serenity of this biggest Buddhist temple in Colombo.
Unlike other Buddhist Temples, Gangaramaya has a museum containing Buddha statues from all over the world, statues of Hindu gods, old watches, Dutch coins,and old Sri Lankan money bank notes as well as many other antiques along with the smallest Buddha statue in the island enclosed in a glass box, which, visitors have to use a magnifying glass to view it.The walls are decorated depicting various story scenes including one of two elephants locked in battle.There is a collection of old Rolls-Royces and Mercedes, including Sri Lanka’s very first Mercedes car on display.
Thus, Gangaramaya Temple is a must visit destination for all visitors to Colombo city.
Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.
