Gangaramaya was built by Most Ven. Sri Sumangala Thera in 1885. Legend has it that he planted a Bo sapling and the temple began as a small hermitage. The erudite Thera, who also built the Vidyodaya Pirivena was responsible for designing the Buddhist flag and has performed a yeoman service to Buddhism, as well as arts and literature.
One can say that the Gangaramaya Temple is similar to other temples because of the Pagoda, the Bo tree, Buddhist shrines and preaching halls. But there is one thing that sets it apart from most other temples and indeed, other places of worship. The temple has very deep ties with the community and engages in a lot of social service activities. Long before the term Corporate Social Responsibility became fashionable, the Gangaramaya Temple has been doing something similar for decades.
The Seema Malaka on the Beira Lake, although located around 150 metres away from the main building, is an integral part of the Gangaramaya Temple and was restored and designed by the internationally acclaimed architect Geoffrey Bawa. He was not a Buddhist, but he was able to capture the nuances of Buddhist teachings perfectly in designing the Seema Malaka which evokes the serenity of many ancient hermitages in the country. The Seema Malaka is often depicted in picture postcards as a temple in its own right and is used mostly for meditation. It has a large number of Buddha statues depicting various Mudras (poses) on all three platforms. The Bo Tree at Seema Malaka was grown from a sapling from the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura, Interestingly, the Seema Malaka was part funded by donors from other communities and religions in a nod to the temple’s affinity with people from all communities.
Read more: Gangaramaya Temple: Oasis of serenity in the heart of Colombo
One can say that the Gangaramaya Temple is similar to other temples because of the Pagoda, the Bo tree, Buddhist shrines and preaching halls. But there is one thing that sets it apart from most other temples and indeed, other places of worship. The temple has very deep ties with the community and engages in a lot of social service activities. Long before the term Corporate Social Responsibility became fashionable, the Gangaramaya Temple has been doing something similar for decades.
The Seema Malaka on the Beira Lake, although located around 150 metres away from the main building, is an integral part of the Gangaramaya Temple and was restored and designed by the internationally acclaimed architect Geoffrey Bawa. He was not a Buddhist, but he was able to capture the nuances of Buddhist teachings perfectly in designing the Seema Malaka which evokes the serenity of many ancient hermitages in the country. The Seema Malaka is often depicted in picture postcards as a temple in its own right and is used mostly for meditation. It has a large number of Buddha statues depicting various Mudras (poses) on all three platforms. The Bo Tree at Seema Malaka was grown from a sapling from the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura, Interestingly, the Seema Malaka was part funded by donors from other communities and religions in a nod to the temple’s affinity with people from all communities.
Read more: Gangaramaya Temple: Oasis of serenity in the heart of Colombo
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