Gangaramaya Temple
Description
Gangaramaya Temple is one of the most well-known Buddhist temples in Colombo. It’s exceptionally beautiful with the Beira Lake on one side and statues & carvings paving the way inside. The main sanctuary has a huge Buddha statue while the ceilings portray his stories.
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.
In the late 19th century, Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera set up the Gangaramaya Temple in Sri Lanka’s Colombo. It soon became famous for its unusual blend of architectural styles including Sri Lankan, Indian, Thai and Chinese.
