Srilanka -The southern neighbour of India is known to Indians for its association with the ancient city mentioned in Ramayana and hence is holy to Hindus across world. The country , however, is also known for Buddhism , which flourises there . My brief visit to Colombo was a pleasant one and I utilised every moment to explore the life and culture of the city throught its various sites , some of which I have described below:
The Gangaramaya Temple is the most famous Buddhists temples in Colombo. It is situated near Beira Lake, in the heart of the Colombo city. The temple was established in 1885 by Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera. It gradually grew into the complex as it is today. The complex 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 containing the relics of Buddha, 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. These numerous Buddha’s give an aesthetic fervour to the entire temple ambience. This is something unique of all the Buddhist temples that I have visited in India and in Thailand.
As one enters the temple, one will see a huge mural on the wall depicting the eight vicissitudes of life. The temple’s most distinguishing feature is its treasure-trove museum that holds an innumerable number of Buddha statues from all over the world along with statues of Hindu gods, old watches, Dutch coins and many other antique collectibles.
As one enters the temple, one will see a huge mural on the wall depicting the eight vicissitudes of life. The temple’s most distinguishing feature is its treasure-trove museum that holds an innumerable number of Buddha statues from all over the world along with statues of Hindu gods, old watches, Dutch coins and many other antique collectibles.
The temple also houses the holy hair relic of Lord Buddha. The Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has released the kesha Dhathu (Hair relic) in response to a request made by President Mahindra Rajpaksa .These relics were brought by him to Sri Lanka for the 2600th Sambuddhathva Jayanti exposition.During the thirties a Tibetan tourist monk named Ven. Sakya came to Chittagong to see the condition of Buddhists here. And after visiting various parts of Chittagong he stayed in this monastery for a few days and donated a bunch of sacred Hair Relics of Lord Buddha to Aggamahapandit Dhammawangsha Mahathero, the then president of Chittagong Buddhsit Association and High Priest of the Monastery. Later on, the Relics came under the custody of Ven. Dipankar Shriganan Mahathero, his successor..
Beira Lake and the Seema Malakya temple: Beira is a lake in the centre of the city of Colombo. The lake occupies approximately 165 hectares of land 100 years ago and has been reduced to mere 65 hectares today due to various reasons. During the colonial era of the Portuguese, and the English the lake was used to transport goods within the city. It still retains its Portuguese name. The lake has two distinct bodies of water, the smaller and the larger lake, which are connected by narrow canal which runs through Slave Island and the Sri Lanka Army Headquarters. The lake spills to the Indian Ocean at Galle Face.
Seema Malakaya temple in the South Beira lake is small but with a nice architecture and ambience makes it a must for a relaxing experience in a calm and serene surroundings. The beautiful Buddha statues and the pelicans swimming around the temple lake makes it a good photographic experience. Seema Malaka Temple is the assembly hall for monks at the Gangaramaya Vihara Buddhist Temple. The architecture of the temple is a perfect harmony of Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian, and Chinese architecture. The temple is built in the reclaimed swampland near the Beira Lake. The beautiful temple was established by Venerable Hikkaduwe Sri Sumanagala Nayaka Thera about 120 years ago. The temple entrance is flanked by two Golden Buddha statues.
The Galle Face Green is a five hectare ocean-side park which stretches for a half kilometre along the coast, in the heart of the financial and business district of Colombo. The original Galle Face Green extended over a much larger area than is seen today. It was initially used for horse racing and as a golf course, but was also used for cricket, polo, football, tennis and rugby.
Now this is a popular destination for children, vendors, teenagers, lovers, kite flyers, merrymakers and all those who want to indulge in their favorite pastimes next to the sea under the open sky. On Saturday and Sunday evenings, the land is busy with day trippers, picnickers and food vendors. There are many large hotels that border the strip; the Ceylon Inter-Continental Hotel, the quaint Galle Face Hotel and Hotel Taj Colombo where I stayed.
Radio Ceylon and subsequently the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, the oldest radio station in South Asia, has recorded many programs here at Gall Face Green in the 1950s and 1960s.
Mount Lavina beach : Colombo doesn’t boast of some of the finest beaches that one comes across in various countries. However, there are a couple of beaches near Colombo, which are relatively good beaches for a weekend hangouts. Mount Lavina is a nice beach with a few cafés / restaurants scattered around the beach. The beach has some good seafood restaurant which offer everything right from tiger and giant prawns to lobsters , crabs and some exotic varieties of fishes..The Sea is usually rough and not good for swimming. The beach is also not very clean. Although it’s a tranquil place, yet the locals bother too much by offering services like massage and even drug and what not. , There are so many onlookers who keep ogling especially at the western woman in bikinis. Sri Lanka is a conservative country so native Srilankans are never seen in bikinis and foreign tourists avoid too keeping in view the traditions. However , I did spot few of them roaming around even on the train track nearby.
The Pettah Market also called Manning Market is an open market in the suburb of Pettah in the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka. The entrance to the Pettah Market is marked formally by a tall monument in the centre of a roundabout, known as the Khan Clock Tower which was built by the family of Framjee Bhickajee Khan, an eminent Parsi family from Bombay who used to have substantial business interests in the country and who also owned the Colombo Oil Mills.
The Colombo Old Town Hall & Museum, which was built by the prominent Muslim Arasi Marikar Wapchie Marikar, is located at Kayman's Gate, so named because the Dutch used to stock crocodiles at Beira Lake to prevent their slaves from escaping. Today the building acts as a post office on the ground floor, and as a museum on the upper floor. Outside, there is an exhibit of old steam engines. The most recognizable building in the Pettah market is the candy-striped (also known as The Red Mosque) which was built in 1909.
Most of the businesses in Pettah are dominated by muslims who specialize in trading of goods and the tamil people who have migrated from india traders who specialize in gold and jewelry shops. At the end of pettah is sea street which is srilanka s gold market where people all around srilanka come to purchase jewellery . Its a long street of jewellery shops with hundreds of shops next to one another. There are also some jewellery shops in main street gaspa junction. The market is divided into different sections. Section for Men’s Clothing, section for women’s Clothing, section for suitcases, section for watches etc.
