Label : Top Attraction
Tags : Temple
Timings : 6:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Entry Fee : No entry fee for the locals.
A nominal fee of LKR 200 for foreigners is charged
The entry fee grants access to Gangaramaya Temple and the Seemamalakaya Temple across the road.
Gangaramaya is one of Colombo's oldest and busiest Buddhist temples, founded in the 19th century by the scholar-monk Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala. Beyond the shrine halls and stupas, its museum wing is genuinely eclectic: Buddha statues from across Asia sit alongside a vintage car collection, elephant tusks and antique jewellery, donated over decades by devotees. Seema Malaka, the temple's floating meditation annex on Beira Lake, is a separate stop about a kilometre away.
The temple uniquely blends architectural styles from Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, and India. One can see the architectural combination in the temple’s features like the Vihara, which is the main temple, Cetiya (which is a pagoda), the Bodhi Tree, Seema Malaka, which is the assembly hall for monks, the Vihara Mandiraya, and the relic chamber where all the relics are stored.