Colombo → Sigiriya → Kandy → Ella
Example · Sigiriya, Kandy and Ella — 7 Days with a Local Guide
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Researched by Sarisara, with sources.
On the banks of the Kelani River, a few kilometres from central Colombo, stands one of Sri Lanka’s most important Buddhist temples. Tradition holds that the Buddha visited this exact spot during his third visit to the island, eight years after his enlightenment, and that a king later built a jewelled shrine here to mark the occasion, enshrining a throne the Buddha is said to have used. The temple has been rebuilt many times since; the Portuguese damaged it badly in the 16th and 17th centuries, and most of the buildings you see today date from a major restoration that began in 1888.
Inside, the walls and ceiling are covered in murals painted over twenty years by the Sri Lankan artist Solias Mendis, showing scenes from the Buddha’s life, the Jataka tales (stories of the Buddha’s past lives), and moments from Sri Lankan history. A reclining Buddha image and a sacred Bodhi tree, grown from a cutting of the original tree in Anuradhapura, are both part of the complex.
The temple grounds also hold a separate shrine to Vibhishana, a guardian figure from the Ramayana said to have been crowned king of Lanka at this very place — which makes the site sacred to Hindu visitors too. Each January, on the Duruthu full-moon Poya day, the temple holds the Duruthu Maha Perahera, a large procession with dancers, drummers and decorated elephants, one of the biggest Buddhist festivals near Colombo.
Free entry.
There is no entrance ticket. Donations at individual shrines are welcomed but optional, and are not collected by Sarisara or included in your trip price.
Cover your shoulders and knees, and take off your shoes before entering any shrine room or the stupa platform.
Not dressed for the temple? Some sources mention a sarong or shawl can be rented or bought at the entrance for a small fee, but this was not independently confirmed for this page, so it is best to arrive already dressed correctly.
Hours are reported consistently by independent travel sources, but this round of research did not find them confirmed on an official temple or government page.
The temple's own chief incumbent (not a government body) — currently Venerable Professor Kollupitiye Mahinda Sangharakkhitha Thera
Kelaniya, Gampaha District, Sri Lanka (a northeastern suburb of Colombo)
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Colombo → Sigiriya → Kandy → Ella
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Fire dancers light the road before the elephants of the Esala Perahera.
