Buddhism & cultural tourism in Sri Lanka

It is reassuring in this day and age where, in tourism, the branded often overshadows the bone fide, that cultural holidays in Sri Lanka have something truly meaningful at their core. And that is Buddhism. It has been, and continues to be, the leading light that guides tourists here. Many are followers of Buddha from around the world, others simply fascinated by the religion’s history, the architecture associated with it as well as contemporary sacred practices.

No matter what your beliefs, it is hard not to be struck by the serenity, spiritualism and committed service of Buddhist monks seen at many of the country’s temples, whether they are ancient museum pieces or contemporary places of worship. Beira Lake, a landmark in the capital city of Colombo, for example, is home to hundreds of monks at Gangaramaya Temple. And there are thousands of monks in and around the Kandy region, where the Sri Dalada Maligawa or Temple of the Tooth is located, housing the sacred tooth belonging to Buddha. There are, in fact, 6,000 Buddhist monasteries in Sri Lanka with approximately 15,000 monks and, in many places, from the jungles to the beaches, you will hear chanting coming from all directions at sunrise.

Kandy is like a central node from which Buddhism emanates out to all corners of Sri Lanka. This is because it was the 15th century capital city, founded by the Kings of Kandy who also battled to preserve Buddhism during this and following centuries as Dutch, Portuguese and British colonists attempted to erase it. This culminated in the British capturing Kandy in 1815, deposing the Sinhalese king whose line had ruled here for over 2,000 years. As with all previous colonisers, conversion to Christianity was encouraged and, in order to gain good positions of work for example, was compulsory.