Negombo is an area that is known as a tourist destination and is home to a large number of Catholics in the country. The place is known as ‘Little Rome’ because demographically 90% of the people are Catholic. However, even in a place like Negombo you find a Buddhist temple that represents the religion a majority of the Sri Lankans practice. The place I am referring to is the Bodhirajaramaya Temple in Negombo. Bodhirajaramaya was established to serve the minority of Buddhists in Negombo, but it has grown to attract Buddhists from all over the country. It is a place that is hard to miss, if you ask any local in Negombo they can direct you to the temple.
A common feature of temples in Sri Lanka is the intricate paintings and designs that have been created to celebrate the life of the Buddha. Even in Bodhirajaramaya temple you find a large number of paintings and statues that represent Buddha. There are three places of worship that are demarcated in the temple premises, the ‘budhu ge’ or the House of Buddha, the ‘bodhiya’ which is the Bo tree that is symbolic of Buddha’s early life of detachment and finally the ‘vehera’ which is a white dome structure that holds Buddha’s relics. In each of these sections there are paintings and frescoes that would portray the journey of Buddha, his experiences or the ‘jathaka stories’. At the Bodhirajaramaya there are sculptures and paintings in the ‘budhu ge’ that represent some of the most significant ‘jathaka stories’.
What is special about Bodhirajaramaya is that the ‘Budhu ge’ also portrays important Buddhist events in Sri Lanka. Another remarkable feature is the life size images of the Sinhala kings. The gallery begins with King Vijaya, who was the first King in Sri Lanka and ends with the last King in Sri Lanka before British Rule, King Sri Wickrema Rajasinghe. If you visit Negombo you should stop over for a short while at the Bodhirajaramaya and you will find it easy to access the place from any hotel in Negombo.It is fairly simple to find a beach hotel Negombo to stay in when you visit the west coast of Sri Lanka. A place that you should check out is Club Hotel Dolphin, they have great rooms and a delectable spread for their lunch and dinner buffets.
