Gangaramaya Temple

Description and is it worth a visit

Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo is considered the richest and most famous in Sri Lanka. It was built a little over 120 years ago and is dedicated to Buddhism. Among tourists, this is quite a popular place. It is a small religious complex, including several structures, including the temple itself, Library, Museum, classrooms. In the eastern part of the small lake Biera there are two meditation pavilions (Seema Malakaya) belonging also to Gangaramaya. In one there are bronze statues of Buddha around the perimeter, in the other there is a Bodhi tree (bodhi) and four images of Brahmins in the center. In the evenings, the pavilions are illuminated with lights. On the territory of the Gangaramaya temple there is also a Hindu Ganesha temple dedicated to the God Skanda.

Gangaramaya Temple, Colombo, Sri Lanka — Gangaramaya Temple, Colombo

The interior of the Gangaramaya Temple is very bright and rich, contains many images of the Buddha and representatives of the Buddhist pantheon, as well as statues of the Buddha. One of the interesting places is the multi-tiered wall, on the steps of which there are numerous statues of the Buddha. A large library with valuable and ancient manuscripts, a museum with many exhibits demonstrating the history of the country deserve attention. In the Temple Square there is an old tree brought by from Anuradhapura. It is also home to an elephant, which annually participates in processions organized on the Navam Perahera festival, which is celebrated in February on the day of the full moon.

The leadership of the temple takes an active part in the cultural and religious life of the city. Various events, lectures, exhibitions are held here, temple servants assist in solving some social problems, organizing free training and obtaining technical specialties for everyone, provide other assistance.

Temple site www.gangaramaya.com

🕐 Working hours

Daily, 6:00-18:00

💵Entrance fee / ticket price

Entrance to the temple is free, but donations are very actively accepted. The entrance to the museum is 100 rupees (0.3 USD, see Sri Lankan currency and exchange rate).

🚶 How to get there

Colombo 2 (Slave Island district), Sri Jinaratna Road, 62 (temple on Colombo map).

Getting to know the sights of Colombo is much more interesting and informative with the help of guided tours, which can be purchased on one of the review sites.: