Asokaramaya Buddhist Temple

Asokaramaya Buddhist Temple Asokaramaya Buddhist Temple Asokaramaya Buddhist Temple

Ashokaramaya Buddhist Temple in Kirulapone (Colombo 05) is one of the most unassuming temples you will come across in Sri Lanka. Not to be confused with the Ashokaramaya in Kalutara; this Colombo temple is an entirely different world of color and stories. The exterior, in contrast, is rather dull and normal looking; and as a result, this temple is not very well known. However, recently with its paintings being redone; the temple has had an increase in the level of fame.

A Quick Look of Things to See

The Main Temple: The inner walls, passageway, and roof of the temple are covered in paintings of Buddhas’s life story, various repetitive patterns of flowers, animals, devas, dragons and etc.

The older paintings are shades of yellow, deep red, brown, and dark green; while the newer paintings are of brighter shades such as brilliant blue, green, orange, magenta, and beige. The inner shrine depicts has wall paintings of transcended monks in clouds worshipping the statue of the giant seated Buddha that is the centerpiece. On the side is a giant Nirvanic Buddha statue (reclining). Other rooms hold statues of the devas (aerial deities/angels) worshipping Buddha, done in relief on the walls. All the statues are very detailed and colorful but have a reserved elegance. There are also some shrine rooms holding a Burmese Buddha statue in the Enlightenment form, and a figure depicting the legendary story of Buddha climbing Adam’s peak.

The Bo Tree: The giant bo tree has a protective housing around it. There are several seated Buddhas enshrined along the wall. The area around the tree is quite nicely tiled making for a comfortable place to tread. The Outer Shrine: The outer shrine houses the Hindu Gods that the Buddhists worship. They are depicted in a different manner than usual, being the localized version.

The Pagoda: The stupa is pure white and reasonably sized. Some of the sculpted detailing along the edges is definitely worth a second look. The Temple Museum: Ashokaramaya is also well known for a reason that is different from its beautiful paintings and sculptures. It’s the strange collection of knick-knacks it holds. The temple has a tradition where people make vows using various things and then donate those items to the temple. As such through the years the shrine has acquired a variety of very odd objects, some of them quite rare. Included in the collection are religious objects such as Buddha statues; but also things like old typewriters, cameras, ceramic tea sets, clocks, record players and etc. While some of these are junk, there are some items that show the passage of time and history.

【LK94009959: Text by Lakpura™. Images by Google, copyright(s) reserved by original authors.】

About Colombo District

Colombo is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, the capital city of Sri Lanka. Colombo is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern life and colonial buildings and ruins and a city population of 647,100.The Colombo Metropolitan Region, defined by the districts of Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara, has an estimated population of 5,648,000, and covers an area of 3,694.20 km²

Colombo is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural city. It is the most populous city in Sri Lanka, with 642,163 people living within the city limits. The population of Colombo is a mix of numerous ethnic groups, mainly Sinhalese, Moors and Tamils. There are also small communities of people with Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Malay and Indian origins living in the city, as well as numerous European expatriates.

The great majority of Sri Lankan corporations have their head offices in Colombo. Some of the industries include chemicals, textiles, glass, cement, leather goods, furniture, and jewellery. In the city center is located South Asia's second tallest building - The World Trade Centre.

About Western Province

The Western Province is the most densely populated province of Sri Lanka. It is home to the legislative capital Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte as well to Colombo, the nation's administrative and business center. Western Province is divided into 3 main districts called Colombo (642 km²), Gampaha (1,386.6 km²) and Kalutara (1,606 km²) districts. As Sri Lanka's economic hub, all the major local and international corporations have their presence in the city and so do all the major designer and high street retailers, so be ready to indulge in some retail therapy in western province.

Having the highest population in the all the provinces, the almost all the premier educational institutions in the island are located in western province. Universities in the province include the University of Colombo, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Kelaniya, Open University, Sri Lanka, Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University and University of Moratuwa .Western province has the largest amount of schools in the country, which includes National, Provincial, Private and International schools.

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