Gangaramaya Temple

Gangaramaya is the temple most visitors see first in Colombo, and it is also one of the city's most active religious and community centres. It grew up in the late 19th century on what was then marshy ground near Beira Lake, starting as a small hermitage for the scholar monk Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera. A shipping merchant, Don Bastian de Silva Jayasuriya Goonewardane, bought and prepared the land, and local supporters added a stupa, a decorative arch and a moonstone modelled on examples at Anuradhapura. A Bo sapling brought from Anuradhapura was planted in the grounds, and the Bodhi tree remains one of the main features of the complex.

The complex is a deliberate mix of Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian and Chinese styles. Around the main image house, stupa and Bodhi tree you will find a relic chamber, a library, teaching halls and residential buildings for monks. The museum is the part that surprises people: the temple describes it as holding Buddhist scriptures, old history books, ancient coins and carved statues, and a Time Out visit described a busy room of donated objects including thrones, elephant tusks and souvenirs of British kings. It is less a curated gallery than a treasure house, so a guide or a friend who can explain the pieces makes the visit far more rewarding.

Gangaramaya is also the organiser of the Navam Maha Perahera, a two-day pageant held since 1979 in which decorated elephants, dancers and drummers parade around Beira Lake. The temple has announced the 2027 procession for 19 and 20 February, so plan ahead if you want to see it. Beyond its ceremonies, the temple runs welfare work including homes for older people, a vocational school and an orphanage.

Dress as you would for any Buddhist site in Sri Lanka: cover your shoulders, wear trousers or a long skirt, and remove your shoes before entering the shrine areas. The temple sells entry tickets online through its website, and there are several published phone lines if you want to check details before you go. Allow an hour for the temple and museum together.

The temple's Seema Malakaya, the lake pavilion redesigned by Geoffrey Bawa, is a few hundred metres away on Beira Lake and is part of the same visit. Viharamahadevi Park and the National Museum are a short tuk-tuk ride south, which makes it easy to build a half-day loop of Colombo's central sights.