Seema Malakaya

ABOUT GANGARAMAYA TEMPLE A temple is a beacon, a lighthouse for the storm-tossed Gangaramaya is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Colombo, started by the famous scholar monk Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera in the late 19th Century. After the Venerable Sri Sumangala, his chief pupil Devundera Sri Jinaratana Nayake Thera took on the administration of the temple. It was he who laid the foundation to convert the little temple to an institute of international reckoning. The next chief incumbent was the Ven. Devundara Keerthi Sri Sumangala Jinaratana Vacissara Thera, the teacher of the Ven. Galboda Gnanissara, who worked to make the Gangaramaya what it is today: much more than a temple in the conventional term, but a place of worship, a seat of learning and a cultural centre. FEATURES SRI JINARATHANA TRAINING COLLEGE With over 40 training centres established in outstations, 7,000 students attend classes at the Sri Jinaratana Training Institute daily. NA SEVANA The Na Sevana Community Development Project at Sooriyawewa in the Hambantota District. BUDDHA RUSHMI POOJA The Buddha Rashmi Pooja is the annual National Vesak Festival organized by the Gangaramaya. ATTRACTIONS What to see in the Temple