Gangaramaya Temple

Simamalaka shrine, on an island in Beira Lake

Gangaramaya Temple is one of the most important temples in Colombo.

The city of Colombo was transformed under the weight of 100 colourful elephants with vibrant colours, sounds and sights last night when the Navam Perahara of the Gangarama Temple paraded the streets the day before the Navam Full Moon Day on 16 February 2011. The Navam Perahara, which started in 1979, attracted more than a million spectators this year to the Gangaramaya Temple, at Hunupitiya, Colombo-02 on the banks of the picturesque Beira Lake.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa placed the relics casket on the tusker before the commencement of the Perahara. Chief incumbent of the Gangaramaya Temple, Venerable Galaboda Gnanissara Nayaka Thera also participated in the occasion.

The annual event of Gangarama Navam Perahara is Colombo's grandest outdoor parade on the events calendar. It is one of the most colorful and prestigious Buddhist cultural pageants held in Sri Lanka. The event has as many as 1000 performers. Dancers and drummers from around the country join together to take part in a magnificent procession of more than 100 beautifully decorated elephants to displays of Sri Lanka's traditional forms of art and dance. All the participants add colour and vibrancy with their colourful traditional costumes.

Perahara also displayed the rich religious and cultural tradition of Sri Lanka, gathering hundreds of monks in colorful robes solemnly walking in the procession giving a unique sight, participating with grand pageant of elephants, dancers and entertainment groups. This prestigious Buddhist pageant draws visitors and performers from all over the island and large number of tourists from all over the world to coincide with this grand event, as this festival of culture, tradition and excitement portrays the spirit of the island of Sri Lanka.

Picture shows the President placing the casket with sacred relic of the Perahara on Rana Raja, the main tusker of the temple at the inauguration of the perahara.

Famous incumbents

It was the home for erudite scholars such as Ratmalana Sri Dharmarama Thero, Waskaduwa Sri Subhuti Thero, Weligama Sri Sumangala Thero, Welivitiye Dhammaratna Thero, and Pandit Batuwantudawe.

History

Don Bastian (de Silva Jayasuriya Goonewardane, Mudaliyar), a famous 19th century shipping merchant who was looking for a suitable land to build a temple for the Matara Sri Dharmarama thero, bought a beautiful piece of land belonging to three Moors, and filled and prepared the land at great expense. The land bordered on two sides by the Moragoda Ela and the Pettigala Ela was used to build the temple, which was subsequently named the Padawthota Gangaramaya Viharaya. The Mudaliyar, with the assistance of the people built a great 'Chaitya' (Dagaba) of 30 Riyans, and built a great decorative arch (thorana) and a 'Sandakada Pahana' modeled on the ones found at Anuradhapura , at the entrance to the temple. A 'Bo' sapling brought from the great Sri Maha Bhodiya in Anuradhapura, was also planted by his own hands and brought up. He also built a three-storied preaching hall and the walls, railings and the moat round the temple.

Present Day Activities

Today Gangaramaya serves not only as a place of Buddhist worship; it is also a centre of learning. The temple is involved in Buddhist welfare work including old peoples' homes, a vocational school and an orphanage. The temple is uniquely attractive and tolerant to congregation members of many different religions. It has also been instrumental in establishing the Buddhist temple on Staten Island (U.S.A.) the Buddhist Center in New York, Birmingham Buddhist Vihara (U.K) and the Buddhist Centre in Tanzania, thereby helping to propagate the Dhamma in other countries.

External links

• Gangaramaya Temple
• Gangaramaya Podi Hamuduruwo - Monk with a Purpose
• Navam Maha Perahera
• Don Bastian de Silva Jayasuriya Goonewardane