Gangaramaya (Vihara) Buddhist Temple

Why Gangaramaya (Vihara) Buddhist Temple is special ?

The beautiful Gangarama Temple is famous for its imposing buildings, and is complete with a chetiya, bo tree, image house, Simamalaka, relic chamber containing the relics of the Buddha and Arahat Seevali, museum, library, pirivena, and residential, education and alms halls. It is decorated with stone carvings, brass work and many other forms of Buddhist art. It contains row upon row of Buddha statues in the meditating pose, alongside miniature stupas arranged like a staircase.

As one enters the temple, one will see a huge mural on the wall depicting the ‘Atalo Dahama’ (the eight vicissitudes of life) – gain and loss, good repute and ill repute, praise and censure, and pain and pleasure – to give the message that one shouldn’t be disturbed by these.

Source: http://amazinglanka.com/

What to explore at Gangaramaya (Vihara) Buddhist Temple?

The Gangaramaya Temple is one of the bigger Buddhist temples in Colombo. Once you enter the temple buildings you completely forget that you are in a busy city. In the evening, sitting under the Bodhi tree where monks chant and pray, tranquility descends around you. It is definitely not a site to be missed on your visit to Colombo.

Situated near Beira Lake, in the heart of Colombo, the temple was established in 1885 by Venerable Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera. It gradually grew into the complex it is today, which includes the Vihara (monastery), Cetiya (pagoda), Vihara Mandiraya (Image House, which is full of colorful Buddha statues), Seema Malaka, the Bodhi Tree, the Relic Chamber, as well as a library and a museum. At the far end of the courtyard are rows of elevating steps on which Buddha statues of the Thai style have been sequentially placed to greet the skyline.

Source: http://www.aboutcolombo.lk/

How to get to Gangaramaya (Vihara) Buddhist Temple?

By taxi

Airport Taxi There are some taxi counters, some belonging to 4 / 5 star hotels, providing air conditioned taxis on a fixed price basis depending on the destination. It is highly recommended to agree on the fare beforehand to avoid being overcharged. As of March 2015, the fare was between LKR 2,500 & 3,000 to Colombo so do shop around for the best rate.

There is also a mini van taxi service counter in the arrivals hall providing transport services. The rates are not cheaper than air conditioned taxis but a mini van will seat more than four passengers. The services are primarily for the locals so if you do not hold a Sri Lankan passport, they may refuse to offer you one.

Source: http://wikitravel.org/