Asokaramaya Buddhist Temple

Asokaramaya Buddhist Temple Asokaramaya Buddhist Temple Asokaramaya Buddhist Temple

Ashokaramaya Buddhist Temple in Kirulapone (Colombo 05) is one of the most unassuming temples you will come across in Sri Lanka. Not to be confused with the Ashokaramaya in Kalutara; this Colombo temple is an entirely different world of color and stories. The exterior, in contrast, is rather dull and normal looking; and as a result, this temple is not very well known. However, recently with its paintings being redone; the temple has had an increase in the level of fame.

A Quick Look of Things to See

The Main Temple: The inner walls, passageway, and roof of the temple are covered in paintings of Buddhas’s life story, various repetitive patterns of flowers, animals, devas, dragons and etc.

The older paintings are shades of yellow, deep red, brown, and dark green; while the newer paintings are of brighter shades such as brilliant blue, green, orange, magenta, and beige. The inner shrine depicts has wall paintings of transcended monks in clouds worshipping the statue of the giant seated Buddha that is the centerpiece. On the side is a giant Nirvanic Buddha statue (reclining). Other rooms hold statues of the devas (aerial deities/angels) worshipping Buddha, done in relief on the walls. All the statues are very detailed and colorful but have a reserved elegance. There are also some shrine rooms holding a Burmese Buddha statue in the Enlightenment form, and a figure depicting the legendary story of Buddha climbing Adam’s peak.

The Bo Tree: The giant bo tree has a protective housing around it. There are several seated Buddhas enshrined along the wall. The area around the tree is quite nicely tiled making for a comfortable place to tread. The Outer Shrine: The outer shrine houses the Hindu Gods that the Buddhists worship. They are depicted in a different manner than usual, being the localized version.

The Pagoda: The stupa is pure white and reasonably sized. Some of the sculpted detailing along the edges is definitely worth a second look. The Temple Museum: Ashokaramaya is also well known for a reason that is different from its beautiful paintings and sculptures. It’s the strange collection of knick-knacks it holds. The temple has a tradition where people make vows using various things and then donate those items to the temple. As such through the years the shrine has acquired a variety of very odd objects, some of them quite rare. Included in the collection are religious objects such as Buddha statues; but also things like old typewriters, cameras, ceramic tea sets, clocks, record players and etc. While some of these are junk, there are some items that show the passage of time and history.

【LK94009959: Text by Lakpura™. Images by Google, copyright(s) reserved by original authors.】

Over het district Colombo

Colombo is de grootste stad en commerciële hoofdstad van Sri Lanka. Het ligt aan de westkust van het eiland en grenst aan Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, de hoofdstad van Sri Lanka. Colombo is een drukke en levendige stad met een mix van modern leven en koloniale gebouwen en ruïnes, en een stadsbevolking van 647.100. De metropoolregio Colombo, gedefinieerd door de districten Colombo, Gampaha en Kalutara, heeft een geschatte bevolking van 5.648.000 en beslaat een oppervlakte van 3.694,20 km². Colombo is een multi-etnische, multiculturele stad. Het is de meest bevolkte stad van Sri Lanka, met 642.163 mensen die binnen de stadsgrenzen wonen. De bevolking van Colombo is een mix van verschillende etnische groepen, voornamelijk Singalezen, Moren en Tamils. Er wonen ook kleine gemeenschappen van mensen met Chinese, Portugese, Nederlandse, Maleisische en Indiase afkomst in de stad, evenals talloze Europese expats. De overgrote meerderheid van de Sri Lankaanse bedrijven heeft hun hoofdkantoor in Colombo. Enkele van de industrieën die er actief zijn, zijn chemie, textiel, glas, cement, lederwaren, meubels en sieraden. In het stadscentrum staat het op één na hoogste gebouw van Zuid-Azië: het World Trade Centre.

Over de Westelijke Provincie

The Western Province is the most densely populated province of Sri Lanka. It is home to the legislative capital Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte as well to Colombo, the nation's administrative and business center. Western Province is divided into 3 main districts called Colombo (642 km²), Gampaha (1,386.6 km²) and Kalutara (1,606 km²) districts. As Sri Lanka's economic hub, all the major local and international corporations have their presence in the city and so do all the major designer and high street retailers, so be ready to indulge in some retail therapy in western province.

Having the highest population in the all the provinces, the almost all the premier educational institutions in the island are located in western province. Universities in the province include the University of Colombo, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Kelaniya, Open University, Sri Lanka, Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University and University of Moratuwa .Western province has the largest amount of schools in the country, which includes National, Provincial, Private and International schools.

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