Religions in Sri Lanka: Part 1 - Buddhism

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.

Arahath Mahinda calling out to King Devanampiya Tissa

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 4^th 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.

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.

The Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy

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!

Colourful Vesak Lanterns

A Vesak Pandol

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.

Fire dancers in a Perahera