Gangaramaya Temple

History

The Most Visited temple in the city, the Gangaramaya Temple which organizes Sri Lanka’s largest and the most colourful Vesak festival annually, has a history of 120 years. It was established in 1885 by Venerable Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera at a time when Buddhist and cultural resurgence were much needed as the country was under the colonial rule.

The area that was once a swamp beside the Beira Lake, has now turned to be an iconic complex which consists of the temple, the assembly hall in the breathtaking lake and the vocational training institute. Earlier, devotees had to cross the Beira Lake on a boat in order to reach the then small temple which was converted to what is today by the Devundara Sri Jinaratana Nayake Thera, a pupil of Venerable Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera who appointed him as the chief incumbent of the temple.

Annual Perahera

One of the grandest festivals of the Gangaramaya Temple, the Navam Perahera, the inception of which dates back to 1979, is held annually in the month of February, displaying the rich religious and cultural tradition of Sri Lanka. It is quite a fascinating sight that hundreds of elephants nicely adorned with elegant costume walk with pride and dignity carrying the casket of the sacred relics while many troupes of traditional drummers, flutists, dancers and other traditional performers and hundreds of Buddhist monks clad in colourful robes, parade in the Perahera.

The Gangaramaya Navam Perahera, a colourful pageant in the city of Colombo, plays a big role in preserving the Buddhist culture and taking it for future generations. The Perahera attracts thousands of people not only from the whole island but also beyond the ocean as , it is popular throughout the world.

Buddha Rashmi Nationnal Vesak Festival

Yet another grand festival held by the Gangaramaya Temple in commemoration of the Birth, Enlightenment and Passing-away of the Lord Buddha, is the annual Vesak Festival known as ‘Buddha Rashmi Pooja’, the largest and the most attracted Vesak festival in the island. During this colourful festival, the temple and the area around turn into a sparkling dreamland with thousands of beautifully crafted and illuminated Vesak lanterns some of which are afloat the Beira Lake and millions of lights on the trees around and Seema Malaka embellishing the Buddha Rashmi Pooja.

In addition, a number of religious observances and events are conducted parallel to the Vesak festival with a view to improving the knowledge of the devotees on Buddhism.

Social Services

A temple well – known for its unparallel social service, the Gangaramaya Temple led by the Ven Galaboda Gnanissara Nayaka Thera, is always committed towards the social well-being of the masses. The conscientious endeavours of Podi Hamuduruwo to support the needy are really appreciable and commendable. It is worth mentioning that a towering strength to Podi Hamuduruwo is Ven Dr Kirinde Assaji Thera who plays a big role in all these worthy causes.

Some of the temple’s enormous social services are: community development projects e.g. Na Sevana, vocational training centers, orphanages for the street children, homes for the differently abled and the elderly, homes for the abandoned, publication of Buddhist literature, helping to develop thousands of rural temples, cultivation projects, and many more.

Museum

Initiated by Ven Sri Jinarathana Nayaka Thera as a collection of artifacts and other objects of religious, cultural and historical value, the museum of the temple was much developed to what is today by Ven Galaboda Gnanissara Nayaka Thera with the help of devotees and donors here and abroad particularly the Asian region. Today the museum is replete with a range of ageless treasures from ancient Sri Lanka as well as around the globe, including valuable Buddha statues of different influences, ancient ola leaf writings, old coins, vehicles and other relics in a classic display of tradition and culture.

À propos du district de Colombo

Colombo est la plus grande ville et la capitale commerciale du Sri Lanka. Elle est située sur la côte ouest de l'île, à proximité de Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, la capitale du pays. Colombo est une ville animée et dynamique, mêlant modernité, bâtiments et ruines coloniaux, et compte 647 100 habitants. La région métropolitaine de Colombo, définie par les districts de Colombo, Gampaha et Kalutara, compte une population estimée à 5 648 000 habitants et couvre une superficie de 3 694,20 km². Colombo est une ville multiethnique et multiculturelle. C'est la ville la plus peuplée du Sri Lanka, avec 642 163 habitants. La population de Colombo est un mélange de nombreux groupes ethniques, principalement cinghalais, maures et tamouls. On y trouve également de petites communautés d'origine chinoise, portugaise, néerlandaise, malaise et indienne, ainsi que de nombreux expatriés européens. La grande majorité des entreprises sri-lankaises ont leur siège social à Colombo. Parmi les industries présentes figurent les produits chimiques, le textile, le verre, le ciment, la maroquinerie, le mobilier et la bijouterie. Le centre-ville abrite le deuxième plus haut gratte-ciel d'Asie du Sud : le World Trade Centre. À propos de la province occidentale : la province occidentale est la plus densément peuplée du Sri Lanka. Elle abrite la capitale législative, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, ainsi que Colombo, centre administratif et commercial du pays. La province occidentale est divisée en trois districts principaux : Colombo (642 km²), Gampaha (1 386,6 km²) et Kalutara (1 606 km²). En tant que pôle économique du Sri Lanka, la ville accueille toutes les grandes entreprises locales et internationales, ainsi que les grands créateurs et les grandes enseignes. Préparez-vous donc à une séance de shopping dans la province occidentale. Avec la plus forte population de toutes les provinces, la province occidentale abrite la quasi-totalité des principaux établissements d'enseignement de l'île. Parmi les universités de la province, on compte l'Université de Colombo, l'Université de Sri Jayewardenepura, l'Université de Kelaniya, l'Open University, l'Université bouddhiste et pali du Sri Lanka, l'Université de défense générale Sir John Kotelawala et l'Université de Moratuwa. La province occidentale compte le plus grand nombre d'établissements scolaires du pays, comprenant des écoles nationales, provinciales, privées et internationales.

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