The Many Buddhas of Colombo, Sri Lanka

The backs of seated buddhas at Seema Malaka temple, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Buddhas over Beira Lake
Colombo, commercial and legislative capital of Sri Lanka, may well be a multi-religious, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural city – but it was the many Buddha statues, in all their different glorious forms, that stood out most for me.

Sri Lanka was a delight!

I hadn’t done any homework prior to travelling there, so it was also a delightful surprise. I expected (and got) colonial architecture and Hindu temples (see: Temples, Rains, and Ruins), but the number and variety of Buddhist sites in the country (eg: Dambulla Cave; Avukana Buddha; and Sigiriya) surprised me.

It shouldn’t have. Across the country, Buddhism is practiced by over 70% of the population, with Hinduism, Islam and Christianity splitting the other 30%.

In the Colombo Municipality area, however, this split is quite different: with Buddhism and Islam accounting for about 30% each, and Hinduism (22.6%) and Christianity (14.5%) following behind.

Even so, it was the Buddhas, in all their colourful glory and variety of sculptural styles, that stood out for me all around the city.

I went to Sri Lanka without a real plan: I had found a package deal which fit in with other travel my husband and I were committed to, and so we booked it. When the dates for the pre-paid trip finally rolled around, everything had changed, and I was travelling solo, going wherever the accommodation took me. Fortunately, in spite of a constitutional crisis and some major political upheavals while I was there (see: Parliament Dissolved), the country felt comfortable and safe, especially to an old Asia-hand.

I was particularly lucky with the Colombo stays at either end of my trip. My accommodation was wonderfully located: near enough to Viharamahadevi Park for me to walk my morning circuits there before undertaking the day’s activities. And, part of my second stop fell on a weekend, so a friend I knew living and working in the city was able to join me for some photowalks.

Come with us in search of Buddhas – and some other religious icons:

Golden Buddha statue, Viharamahadevi Park, Colombo Sri Lanka

Buddha Blessings in the Morning
It was a short walk from my rooms to the spacious Viharamahadevi Park. Once there, my walking track took me past a giant golden Buddha. (iPhone6)

Sri Lankan couple in traditional dress, Gangaramaya Temple, Colombo

Wedding Photos
Gangaramaya Temple is one of Colombo’s most important Buddhist complexes: a place of worship and centre of learning. I walked past every day, and once was lucky enough to spot a couple in traditional dress having their wedding pictures made. (iPhone6)

Elephant Head
Gangaramaya Temple is one of Colombo’s oldest Buddhist temples, and is an eclectic mix of Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian, and Chinese architecture.

Vishnu-Buddha
The iconography inside is also a rich mix of Buddhist and Hindu traditions: not surprising, considering Prince Siddhartha’s North-Indian Brahmin roots.

Prayers
Visitors to the temple pay their respects to all the icons – although there are favourites.

Yellow Buddha
The temple is packed with innumerable ornate Buddha statues.

Buddha with a Flame Top Knot
Looking like highly polished porcelain, this Buddha features an ushnisha, the flame-like top knot that originated in Sri Lankan Buddhist sculpture.

Surrounded by Devas
Some of the Buddha images are ornate and colourful, …

Devotion
… others are more subdued.

Begging Bowls and Buddhas
You will always find a row of seven Buddhas in Theravada Buddhist temples: each representing a day of the week. They are sometimes in different postures according to the day. You are meant to pay respect to the statue representing the day of the week that you were born on …

Bronze Buddha
… and to turn to that Buddha for advice.

Ivory-Coloured Alabaster Buddha

Bodhi Leaf
I took a phone-picture of the bodhi leaves for my grandson whose name is Bodhi; I then learned that this very tree was planted over a century ago as an off-shoot from the Indian tree under which the Buddha obtained enlightenment. (iPhone6)

Clay Buddha
The courtyard housing the magnificent bodhi tree also houses some elegantly simple clay Buddhas.

Bronze Buddha or Bodhisattva

Golden Buddha
In the courtyard, we find a golden Buddha, a white stupa, and green foliage.

Buddhas on the Steps
The rows of Buddha statues on a stepped wall in Gangaramaya Temple are modelled after Borobudur, the 7th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple in Magelang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia.

Buddhas on the Steps

Stepped Buddhas

Shiva Nataraja
The dancing Lord Shiva is stepping on a demon to stamp out evil and prepare the universe for creation.

Marble Buddha
This beautiful Buddha in a Chinese-style crown always made me pause as I walked past Gangaramaya Temple.

Golden Buddha
Although Seema Malaka is actually a part of the Gangaramaya Temple complex, it is a short walk away.

Golden Buddhas
This temple is intended to be used for meditation and rest, rather than for worship …

Buddhas in a Row
… and countless Buddhas are there to watch over you …

Buddhas over Beira Lake
… and to watch over the city from their vantage point in the lake. The original temple sank into the waters, so the current sanctuary was built in 1976.