The Sambodhi Chaithya is a unique bell-shaped stupa that’s found in the vicinity of the Colombo Harbour in Sri Lanka. What distinguished the Sambodhi Chaithya from most other stupas found in Sri Lanka is its placement. This stupa is nestled up high on two giant interlocking arches that make it visible from all across the surrounding area.
The idea for the Sambodhi Chaithya was conceived in 1953 when the Ven. Henpitagedara Gnanaseeha Thero concluded that Colombo was missing an iconic Buddhist landmark to call its own. Therefore, he sought the talents of A.N.S. Kulasinghe – a Sri Lankan engineer – to construct a stupa that would be visible to ocean-faring vessels docking at the Colombo Harbour. And so, this is exactly what Kulasinghe did with the construction of the stupa concluding in 1956.
The entire structure is around 260 feet high. The stupa itself has a circumference of 48 metres. Now, chances are if you’re visiting the Sambodhi Chaithya, you’ll want to climb all the way up and get an up-close look at it. Well, that endeavour will require you to climb up over 250 steps – which is around 11 stories high! That being said, it’s all worth it when you finally reach the top. There’s a viewing platform here that’ll let you gaze across Colombo and catch a great view of the Indian Ocean in the distance. IF you get your timing right and visit here during sunset, you’re in for quite the spectacular treat.
