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.

Om Colombo-distriktet

Colombo är Sri Lankas största stad och kommersiella huvudstad. Den ligger på öns västkust och intill Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, Sri Lankas huvudstad. Colombo är en livlig och pulserande stad med en blandning av modernt liv och koloniala byggnader och ruiner och en stadsbefolkning på 647 100. Colombos storstadsregion, definierad av distrikten Colombo, Gampaha och Kalutara, har en uppskattad befolkning på 5 648 000 och täcker en yta på 3 694,20 km². Colombo är en multietnisk och multikulturell stad. Det är den mest befolkade staden i Sri Lanka, med 642 163 personer som bor inom stadsgränserna. Befolkningen i Colombo är en blandning av många etniska grupper, främst singaleser, morer och tamiler. Det finns också små grupper av människor med kinesiskt, portugisiskt, holländskt, malaysiskt och indiskt ursprung som bor i staden, samt många europeiska utlandsboende. Den stora majoriteten av srilankanska företag har sina huvudkontor i Colombo. Några av industrierna inkluderar kemikalier, textilier, glas, cement, lädervaror, möbler och smycken. I stadens centrum ligger Sydasiens näst högsta byggnad - World Trade Center.

Om Västra provinsen

Västra provinsen är Sri Lankas mest tätbefolkade provins. Här ligger den lagstiftande huvudstaden Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte samt Colombo, landets administrativa och affärsmässiga centrum. Västra provinsen är uppdelad i tre huvuddistrikt: Colombo (642 km²), Gampaha (1 386,6 km²) och Kalutara (1 606 km²). Som Sri Lankas ekonomiska centrum finns alla större lokala och internationella företag i staden, liksom alla större designerbutiker och butiker på huvudgatan, så var beredd att ägna dig åt lite shoppingterapi i västra provinsen. Med den högsta befolkningen i alla provinser ligger nästan alla de främsta utbildningsinstitutionerna på ön i västra provinsen. Universiteten i provinsen inkluderar University of Colombo, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Kelaniya, Open University, Sri Lanka, Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University och University of Moratuwa. Västra provinsen har det största antalet skolor i landet, vilket inkluderar nationella, provinsiella, privata och internationella skolor.

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