Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, is a tropical island state located in the Indian Ocean, at a short distance from the southern tip of India. Whereas Buddhism all but disappeared from its northern neighbour for various reasons – surviving only in a few places like Assam, Kashmir, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh – Sri Lanka not only retained Buddhism, but even ‘exported’ it to other Southeast Asian nations. While the majority of the Sri Lankan population is Buddhist of the Theravada school, there is nevertheless a fairly large Hindu minority, too, as well as groups of Muslims and Christians. Befitting its long history as a Buddhist nation, Sri Lanka is home to several ancient Buddhist monuments, found in many parts of the country, but in a far higher concentration in the old capitals: Kandy, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. It is this last site that struck me the most. Why I took to it I do not know; perhaps because of its relatively small self-contained proportions, or because of its location – nature all around, a vast lake – or perhaps simply because there were not many tourists about.

One of the Buddhas within the complex of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Kandy)

The Museum of World Buddhism (Kandy)

Three young novices at Purana Viharaya Saliyala

Sri Lankathikala Raja Maha Viharaya Temple

Jethawanaramaya Dagoba (Anuradhapura)

Thuparama Dagoba (Anuradhapura)