Gangaramaya Temple and Seema Malaka

What to see at Gangaramaya

Gangaramaya is much more than a place to pray. It is also a school for monks, a library and a museum. A monk called Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera started it in the 1880s, on swampy land by the lake, so it is about 140 years old.

Inside, the buildings mix Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian and Chinese styles. Look for:

• The image house, with a big seated Buddha statue.
• The white stupa, a bell-shaped shrine with a tall, thin spire.
• The Bodhi tree, a big sacred fig tree on an upper level, with golden railings and little bells.
• Rows of seated Buddha statues, stacked on steps like a pyramid.
• Shrines to Hindu gods, such as Vishnu and Ganesh. Many Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka honour these gods too.
• The museum, packed from floor to ceiling with gifts from around the world: statues, old coins, clocks, watches and jewels. Even old cars left to the temple are on show in the grounds.

It can feel busy and a little crowded, with treasures everywhere you look. That is part of its charm.

Seema Malaka, the temple on the lake

Seema Malaka belongs to Gangaramaya. It is a set of small pavilions on platforms in Beira Lake, joined by short walkways. Monks use it for ceremonies and quiet meditation, and visitors come for the calm. People often call it the “floating temple”.

An older hall stood here first, on wooden poles, but it fell into the lake. The famous Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa designed the one you see today, built from 1976 to 1978. A Muslim family, the Moosajees, gave most of the money, in memory of their son.

Look for the blue-tiled pyramid roofs, the dark wooden walls, and the row of seated golden Buddha statues along the white edge of the platforms. You leave your shoes in a rack on the shore before you walk over the bridge.

Tickets and opening hours

October 2026 prices. They can change, so check at the ticket office or official website before you go.

Gangaramaya is open every day from 6 AM to 10 PM, says the temple. Seema Malaka has no published hours, so go in daylight or early evening.

The temple does not publish a price list, so the price can change. Pay at the counter by the entrance, in cash. Keep your ticket: it also lets you into Seema Malaka. If you go to Seema Malaka first, you can buy the same ticket there. Children may pay less or nothing, so ask.

The temple’s website has an online ticket page, but in October 2026 it showed no price and its button did not work. Buy your ticket at the entrance.

What to wear and how to behave

These are temples where people pray, so dress and act with care:

• Cover your shoulders and knees. If you forget, the temple lends sarong-style wraps at the entrance.
• Take off your shoes and your hat before you go in. You leave your shoes at a stand or in a rack.
• Don’t pose for photos in front of or beside a Buddha statue, and never with your back to one. Don’t touch or climb on statues. Sri Lanka takes this seriously: disrespecting Buddhist images can lead to arrest.
• Cover any Buddha tattoo. Visitors with Buddha tattoos have been refused entry to Sri Lanka or sent home.
• Speak quietly, and don’t use flash near old paintings.

When to go

• Early morning is the calmest, coolest time.
• Late afternoon and evening are pretty too. The hour before sunset turns the golden statues at Seema Malaka warm and bright.
• Avoid Sundays, public holidays and Poya (full-moon) days if you want space. They are very busy.

Poya days from November 2026: Tuesday 24 November and Wednesday 23 December, then Friday 22 January, Saturday 20 February and Monday 22 March 2027.

Festivals: the Navam Perahera and Vesak

The Navam Maha Perahera is Gangaramaya’s big night procession, held every year since 1979 around the full moon in February. Dancers, drummers, monks and decorated elephants walk through the streets around the temple. In 2027 the temple says it will be on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 February. Roads close in the evening and the crowds are huge.

Many people worry about elephants in processions. In August 2026 Sri Lanka’s government said it would make new rules to protect them. If you go, never feed, touch or pay to pose with an elephant.

At Vesak (the festival of the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and passing away, in May), Gangaramaya runs a big zone of lanterns and lit picture boards around the temple and Beira Lake. It is beautiful in the evening.

Is there an elephant at the temple?

For years the temple kept a chained elephant called Ganga. Recent guides say she has died, and we found no report of a live elephant at the temple from 2024 to 2026. Today the museum shows a stuffed elephant, and there is a life-size elephant statue in her memory.

Tips for your visit

• Walking between the two temples: about 250 metres, 3 to 5 minutes. You cross Sir James Peiris Mawatha, a busy main road. Use the zebra crossing at the junction.
• Toilets, food and cool air: the Colombo City Centre shopping mall is right next to Seema Malaka.
• Beira Lake can smell on hot days, because the water is polluted. The government started a clean-up in 2026.
• Say no to “festival today” tuk-tuk offers. Some drivers tell visitors there is a special festival “only today” to sell a tour or take them to a gem shop.
• Guides at the gate: some men offer to show you around. Some are helpful, some make things up. If you want one, agree the price first.
• Combine it with the Lotus Tower, a short tuk-tuk ride away, or with sunset at Galle Face Green.