Our room at the hotel offered a wonderful view of the Colombo city, which looked similar to any other state in the southern part of India. While traveling to the hotel from the airport, we met a few of the Sri Lankans, who looked quite friendly and helpful. Colombo, as a city looked big and developing with adequate infrastructure. Nevertheless, it offers traces of the colonization with a few structures here and there, which has dark tales to tell.
The first visit in our itinerary was Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a Buddhist temple located in the north eastern part of Colombo. With just a look, I was bowled over by the scenic beauty of the place. The temple is set on the small hillock near the River Kelani and it has a long history, which goes back to as early as 2500 years when the civilization sprang up in the river valleys.
The first visit in our itinerary was Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a Buddhist temple located in the north eastern part of Colombo. With just a look, I was bowled over by the scenic beauty of the place. The temple is set on the small hillock near the River Kelani and it has a long history, which goes back to as early as 2500 years when the civilization sprang up in the river valleys.
I was intrigued by the times (from pre-historic period to this date) this temple has gone through. Sri Buddha visited Kelaniya during the reign of Maniakkhika, who was the Naga King and preached sitting on the jewel studded throne. The priest of the temple authenticated Buddha’s visit by mentioning the Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa, which are chronicles and have records. The temple now looked revamped and all the old paintings on the walls and ceiling were restored.
Built in the third century BC, the temple went through destructions and restoration in 1767 by Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe, the King of Kandy. The walls, which adorned Kandyan-styled paintings, have themes taken from the story of Buddha, Jataka tales and the sacred temples of the island. Most of the murals found are new ones, which depicted the life story of Buddha and his preaching.
There were also paintings on the rise and progress of Buddhism, as well as other happenings in the history. We walked around the temple enjoying the architecture and murals. My husband wanted to spend some time meditating, so we spend some more time there. Once outside the temple, we felt our sins were washed awau.
Built in the third century BC, the temple went through destructions and restoration in 1767 by Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe, the King of Kandy. The walls, which adorned Kandyan-styled paintings, have themes taken from the story of Buddha, Jataka tales and the sacred temples of the island. Most of the murals found are new ones, which depicted the life story of Buddha and his preaching.
There were also paintings on the rise and progress of Buddhism, as well as other happenings in the history. We walked around the temple enjoying the architecture and murals. My husband wanted to spend some time meditating, so we spend some more time there. Once outside the temple, we felt our sins were washed awau.