Religions of Sri Lanka

Religion plays an important role in Sri Lanka. The beautiful architectural religious monuments and places of worship recall the rich history of this magnificent nation.

Buddhism is the faith that is followed by the majority of the country’s population. It was about 2500 years ago in Anuradhapura when the country first received the faith of Buddhism with King Dewanampiyatissa originally embracing the religion. It is recorded that the son of King Asoka of India; Mahinda Thero was sent to Sri Lanka to introduce the faith of Buddhism. Since then, numerous temples, stupas and statues have been constructed and these can be viewed in every corner of the island.  

Sri Lankan’s place heavy emphasis on the relics of the Buddha which were brought to the country from India. The two most sacred and significant relics are the tooth relic of Buddha and the Sri Maha Bodhi, which is a branch of the original Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi that resides in Bodhi Gaya India where Lord Buddha meditated and attained enlightenment.

Among the countless number of temples found in Sri Lanka some of the most prominent are the sacred Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, Gothami Viharaya, Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya, Vajiraramaya, Issipatanaramaya and much more.
Christianity is the second most worshiped religion in the country. The many beautifully designed churches recall the period of Portuguese, Dutch and British rule. However, it was the Portuguese who introduced Christianity to Sri Lanka. Most churches can be found in the Negombo area just a few kilometres North of Colombo. This area is commonly called ‘Little Rome’ mainly due to its large number of churches. The climax of Christianity in Sri Lanka took place during the 15th century when the Portuguese aggressively spread the word about the religion.

It was during the latter part of the kingdom of Anuradhapura that the religion of Hinduism was brought to Sri Lanka chiefly by Tamil Kings. Also when Indian soldiers were brought to the country, many Singhalese Kings built Hindu Shrines for them to carry on with their faith. The Shiva Devalas constructed during the 11th Century AD in Polonnaruwa are two great examples that reveal the importance of the religion back then. Gods and Goddess worshiped and believed by Hindus living in Sri Lanka include Vishnu, Shiva, Laksmi, Sarasvathi, Skanda and Ganesh.

The Islam religion that became popular in the world since the 7th Century AD came to Sri Lanka mainly through traders and merchants from Morocco. These traders shortly settled in the Southern areas of the country and the religion began to take its roots. Some well known mosques in Sri Lanka include The Borah Mosque, Maradana Mosque and the The Mosque in Mutwal.

Home to more that 20 million people, all these facts reveal that Sri Lanka is uniquely diverse in terms of religion and religious traditions too.

Adventure in Sri Lanka