Sri Lanka's population practices a variety of religions. As of the 2011 census 70.19% of Sri Lankans were Theravada Buddhists, 12.6% were Hindus, 9.7% were Muslims (mainly Sunni) and 7.4% Christians (6.1% Roman Catholic and 1.3% other Christian). In 2008 Sri Lanka was the third most religious country in the world according to a Gallup poll, with 99% of Sri Lankans saying religion is an important part of their daily life.
Main religious groups in the country
Buddhism
Theravada Buddhism is the major religion in Sri Lanka, with about 70% of the country's population as followers. Arahath Mahinda son of Indian Buddhist emperor Ashoka, led the mission to Sri Lanka in 246 BCE where he converted the Sri Lankan king of that time Devanampiya Tissa to Buddhism. Arahath Sanghamitra, daughter of King Ashoka, brought a sapling of the Bodhi tree in Buddha Gaya to Sri Lanka. She also established the Order of Nuns in Sri Lanka. The Sapling of the Bodhi tree, known as Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi was planted in the Mahameghavana Park in Anuradhapura by the King Devanampiya Tissa.
From then on, the royal families had helped to encourage the spread of Buddhism, aiding Buddhist missionaries and building monasteries. Around 200 BCE, Buddhism became the official religion of Sri Lanka.
Places of Worship
Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya – Kelaniya Sri Lanka
Situated about six miles from Colombo, set within a sacred area of around ten acres, the Kelani Vihara stands beside the Kelani river as evidence of a Buddhist tradition in this country.Most sacred worshipping places of the Buddhists of Sri Lanka since it is a site made hallowed by the visit of Lord Buddha. In the past Kelaniya itself was a large city and the Kelani Raja Maha Viharaya was one of the largest and one of the most beautiful temples of Sri Lanka
Bellanwila Raja Ma Viharaya- Colombo
Situated Bellanwila, Colombo district. In the temple-studded paradise island of Sri Lanka, Bellanwila Rajamaha Vihara occupies a special place. This temple is considered so sacred that there is a long cherished belief that a child who treads the ground under the shade of its scared Bodhi-tree will never fail in life.
Gangaramaya – Colombo
Situated 61 Sri Jinaratana Road, Hunupitiya, Colobmo 2. The Temple developed modern period, after 1815 CE.
This Buddhist temple includes several imposing buildings and is situated not far from the placid waters of Beira Lake on a plot of land that was originally a small hermitage on a piece of marshy land. It has the main features of a Vihara (temple), the Cetiya (Pagada) the Bodhitree, the Vihara Mandiraya, the Simamalaka and the Relic Chamber. In addition, a museum, a library, a residential hall, a three storeyed Pirivena, educational halls and an alms hall are also on the premises.
Kotte Raja Maha Viharaya – Kotte
Situated Kotte Road, Kotte Road. The Ancient Temple developed during Kotte period. Beg 5th – End 6th Cen.
Hinduism
Hindus make up 12.6% of Sri Lanka's population.The origins of the religion are linked to early Tamil immigration into the island since the Chola conquests in the 10th century or even earlier with the Saivite devotional movement that swept South India.
Hinduism in Sri Lanka is largely identified with the Tamil population and is concentrated in the Northern, Eastern and Central Provinces. The population declined since the 1981 census on account of Sri Lankan Tamil immigration overseas and the repatriation of 'Indian' Tamils.
A significant Hindu religious figure in Sri Lankan modern history is Satguru Siva Yogaswami of Jaffna. One of the mystics of the 20th century, Yogaswami was the official satguru and counseling sage of Lanka's several million Tamil Hindu population. The Ramakrishna Mission is somewhat active in the Amparai and Batticaloa districts while the Saiva Siddhanta school of philosophy is prevalent in the North.
Places of Worship
Statue of Ravana at Koneswaram Temple - Trincomalee
Nallur Kandaswamy temple - Jaffna
Nallur Kandaswamy temple is one of the most significant Hindu temples in the Jaffna District of Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It stands in the town of Nallur. The presiding deity is Lord Murugan or Katharagama Deviyo in the form of the holy 'Vel' in the Sanctum, the primary shrine, and in other forms, namely, Shanmugar, Muthukumaraswami, Valli Kaanthar with consorts Valli and Deivayanai, and Thendayuthapani, sans consorts in secondary shrines in the temple.
Kataragama
Kataragama is a pilgrimage town sacred to Buddhist, Hindu and indigenous Vedda people of Sri Lanka. People from South India also go there to worship. The town has the Ruhunu Maha Kataragama devalaya, a shrine dedicated to Skanda-Murukan also known as Kataragamadevio. Kataragama is in the Monaragala District of Uva province, Sri Lanka.
Christianity
According to Christian traditions, Christianity introduced by Thomas the Apostle in Sri Lanka (as well as India) during the 1st century. After his arrival, small Christian settlements were recorded to have been established on Sri Lanka's coastline. However, the population of Christians in Sri Lanka didn't dramatically increase until the arrival of Portuguese missionaries during the 15th century. In the 17th century, the Dutch took over Sri Lanka and Dutch missionaries were able to convert 21% of Sri Lanka's population to Christianity by 1622.
Places of Worship
St sebastian church in negombo sri lanka
The church was designed by Father G. Gannon, parish priest of Sea Street. Although the foundation stone was laid by the Archbishop of Colombo, Pierre-Guillaume Marque, on 2 February 1936, construction was not completed until ten years later. It replaced a smaller church to accommodate the increasing number of parishioners in the catholic majority city. It is said to be modeled in Gothic style on the lines of the Reems Cathedral in France. A shadow of this church is seen in the Negombo Lagoon.
Calvary Church Sri Lanka
Calvary Church Sri Lanka is a local church with a global vision, located in Colombo Sri Lanka. We have branches all over this beautiful Island, as well as in other parts of the world.
Muslims
By the 6th century, Arab traders had controlled much of the trade on the Indian Ocean, including that of Sri Lanka's. Many of these traders settled down in Sri Lanka, encouraging the spread of Islam. However, when the Portuguese arrived at Sri Lanka during the 16th century, many of the Arabs' Muslim descendants were persecuted, thus forcing them to migrate to the Central Highlands and to the east coast.
In modern times, Muslims in Sri Lanka have the Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs Department, which was established in the 1980s to prevent the continual isolation of the Muslim community from the rest of Sri Lanka. Today, about 9.7% of Sri Lankans adhere to Islam mostly from the Moor and Malay ethnic communities on the island.
Places of Worship
Dewatagaha Mosque – Colombo
Situated Kotte Road, Kotte Road. The Ancient Temple developed during Kotte period. Beg 5th – End Dewatagaha Mosque in Lipton’s Circus, Colombo, has become a byword in every Muslim home, and no Muslim passes the shrine of the saint without paying his respects
Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque
Construction of the Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque commenced in 1908 and the building was completed in 1909.[2][3] The mosque was commissioned by the local Borah Muslim community, based in Pettah, to fulfill their required five-times-daily prayer and Jummah on Fridays. The mosque's designer and builder was Habibu Labbe Saibu Labbe (an unqualified architect), and was based on details/images of Indo-Saracenic structures provided by South Indian traders, who commissioned him. It is a hybrid style of architecture, that draws elements from native Indo-Islamic and Indian architecture, and combines it with the Gothic revival and Neo-classical styles. Originally it had the capacity for 1,500 worshippers although at the time only around 500 were attending prayers.
