Sri Lanka is a Buddhist country and there are images,dagobas and temples dotted almost every where and can be seen very frequently when one travels in the country. The best known and perhaps more sacred isthe Bellanwila Raja Maha Vihare which is located about 3 kilometres from Colombo in a place called Dehiwela. The great sanctity attached to this temple is due to the sacred Bo tree you find here. According to the ancient texts this Bo tree grew out of 32 saplings that grew out of the Bo tree in Anuradhapura & was planted here around the 3rd century BC. Vistors must make an effort to see this temple as it is situated in Colombo, the present capital and quite accessible. This history of the temple can be divided into 3 periods- Anuradhapura period, Kotte period & the re-discovery of the temple around the beginning of the 19th century.
Some of the images replicate the Gal Vihare statues (Polonnaruwa) with the sleeping Buddha. I attach a cross section of images from this sacred temple. Of course I was not allowed to take any photographs from within the temple. All photos were taken with the Canon 60D + 40mm (Pancake) lens.
(i) Sleeping Buddha
(ii) The Buddha in prayer with eyes closed.
(iii)Ananda- one of the Buddha's disciples
(iv) Within the temple compound
(a)
(b)
Some of the images replicate the Gal Vihare statues (Polonnaruwa) with the sleeping Buddha. I attach a cross section of images from this sacred temple. Of course I was not allowed to take any photographs from within the temple. All photos were taken with the Canon 60D + 40mm (Pancake) lens.
(i) Sleeping Buddha
(ii) The Buddha in prayer with eyes closed.
(iii)Ananda- one of the Buddha's disciples
(iv) Within the temple compound
(a)
(b)
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