I’m starting this blog with a confession.
I’m ashamed to admit that I, a self-proclaimed travel buff, have not been on an
adventure in the past month. This left me with the problem of not having
anything to blog about. So I thought I’d go ahead with something I already have
some solid insight to: Religions in Sri Lanka.
My mom’s a Christian and my dad’s a
Buddhist, so I consider myself to be half and half and I’ve been going to
temples, churches and Kovils all my life! Sri Lanka is a multicultural nation
with four main religions; Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. Each of
them stem from various stages throughout Sri Lanka’s rich history and have
heavily influenced our culture and traditions.
A little over 70% of the country’s population
is Buddhist. Buddhism was brought to Sri Lanka from India in 246 BC by a
Buddhist Monk named Mihindu [or Mahinda] who was the son of the Mauryan Emperor,
Ashoka. He was said to have been standing atop Mihintale Rock and to have
called out to King Devanampiya Tissa as he was about to hunt a deer in the
jungle. He then converted the King into Buddhism. His sister Arahath
Sanghamitra later arrived in Sri Lanka carrying a sapling of the Bodhi Tree on
which Lord Buddha had attained Enlightenment. The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhiya was
planted by King Devanampiya Tissa in Anuradhapura. From then on Buddhism was
carried down through generations spreading across the country to become the official
religion of Sri Lanka in 200 BC.
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Arahath Mahinda calling out to King Devanampiya Tissa
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| Arahath Sangamithra bringing the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhiya |
After the death of Lord Buddha, his Sacred
Tooth Relic was brought to Sri Lanka in the 4th Century by Prince
Dantha and Princess Hemamala. They were said to have been disguised as Brahmins
to avoid recognition and the Sacred Tooth Relic was hidden in the Princess’s
hair. The Relic has played a huge role in Sri Lanka’s history as the people
believed that whoever possessed the tooth was the ruler of the land and as a
result many wars were waged to gain ownership of this relic. Currently it is
housed at the Temple of the Tooth Relic which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
in Kandy.
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| Bringing the Sacred Tooth Relic to Sri Lanka |
There are many Temples that are places of
interest to travellers like the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy mentioned
above and the Gangarama Temple in Colombo. I personally prefer my small and
quiet neighbourhood temple that is a short walk away from my home. I insist
that you visit a local temple that is not well known while you are in Sri Lanka
instead of just visiting the more popular ones because you would get a better
idea of the religion and its calm and simple nature.
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| The Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy |
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| The Gangarama Temple in Colombo |
Buddhists in Sri Lanka follow the Theravada
teachings where Lord Buddha is seen as a man who achieved Enlightenment and
taught monks to follow and spread his teachings. It is more of a philosophy and
a way of life than it is a religion. People do not officially worship Lord
Buddha but instead show reverence to his memory unlike the Mahayana teachings
where the Buddha is seen as a superhuman being.
One of the best things about living in Sri
Lanka is that we get a holiday on the full moon day every month. These are
called Poya days and they were declared a holiday so that the Buddhists in Sri
Lanka can spend the day worshipping in the temple. The most significant day in Buddhism’s
calendar is Vesak Poya which falls on the full moon day in May to commemorate
the birth, enlightenment and death of Lord Buddha. It is celebrated by
decorating houses and streets with Vesak Lanterns in different shapes, sizes
and colours. There are also large pandols lit up with hundreds of bulbs showing
different stories from Lord Buddha’s life. People usually walk around the
streets enjoying these decorations in the night time. Another unique feature of
Vesak Poya is that there are several stalls along the streets called ‘dansal’
that give out free food, drink and desserts to any and all passers-by. This is
one of my favourite things about living in Sri Lanka!
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| Colourful Vesak Lanterns |
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| A Vesak Pandol |
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| A stall handing out free ice cream to passers by |
Temples also organise big parades called
peraheras that vary in size depending on the temple. The most popular perahera
takes place in Kandy, where the Sacred Tooth Relic is taken on the back of a
tusker behind several dancers, fire dancers, decorated elephants and drummers
etc. It is definitely something you should try and check out if you plan to be
in Sri Lanka during that time.
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| Fire dancers in a Perahera |
