Getambe Temple (ගැටඹේ පන්සල)

When one travels along the Colombo - Kandy road, vehicles slowing down in front of a certain Buddhist temple rising behind a wall depicting elephants is a common sight. The vehicles would stop for a moment, someone would hop out and rush to the roadside till, stuff in some coins or notes, quickly pay homage and rush back. The others in the vehicle would briefly rise from their seats and bow their heads in due respect to the large sacred Bo tree of this temple. Paying homage in a fleeting moment to the much revered Bo tree of the Getambe Rajopavanaramaya, they seek blessings for a safe journey and success in their endeavours. The Getambe Rajopavanaramaya rests right above the bank of the Mahaweli River, near the historic Getambe ferry, at the eastern edge of the Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens. Swept by the chilled breeze from the River Mahaweli, the big Bo tree, small shrine room and stupa emerge behind a cream-toned parapet wall featuring a row of ornate elephant head sculptures. When we visited the temple recently, we met the Chief Incumbent of Getambe Rajopavanaramaya, Ven. Keppitiyagoda Siriwimala Thera and incumbent, Ven. Galketiwala Rathana Wansa Thera who provided us with valuable information pertaining to the temple’s historical background, development and services - religious and social. In March 1638, the battle of Gannoruwa was led by Prince Maha Asthana (who was better known as King Rajasinghe II); he and his two elder brothers (Kumarasinghe and Wijayapala), with their armies, attacked the Portuguese from three directions. Once they won the battle, King Rajasinghe II planted three Bo saplings to commemorate their victory at the exact locations where the three brothers had camped. Ven. Keppitiyagoda Siriwimala Thera Ven. Dr. Labuduwe Siri Dhamma  Thera As time passed, the Bo tree planted in the name of Prince Kumarasinghe faced calamities as some non-Buddhists began to sacrifice animals in the premises as part of their religious rites. After many years of struggle, a Buddhist society named Sri Samagree Dharmawardena reclaimed the land along with the Bo tree and built a small temple there in 1928. In 1938 Ven. Yatalamatte Amarawansa Thera became the Chief Incumbent at the temple and developed the site further and founded the Getambe Rajopavanaramaya. Ven. Amarawansa Thera had two disciples, namely Ven. Labuduwe Siri Dhamma Thera and Ven. Keppitiyagoda Siriwimala Thera, who were entrusted with his vision to establish a higher education centre for Bhikkhus in the temple grounds. After the demise of Ven. Amarawansa Thera in 1957, Ven. Dr. Labuduwe Siri Dhamma Thera became the Chief Incumbent. He was a great scholar, specialising in five languages and having two university degrees as well as a Ph. D. from Oxford, England. Ven. Siri Dhamma Thera founded the notable Dharma Chakra Vidya Peeta attached to the temple which became a world-renowned centre of higher education for foreign Bhikkhus, especially those from Nepal and Bangladesh. The centre also drew lay intellectuals from worldwide, and they received an education in Buddhism and participated in meditation sessions. After the demise of Ven. Siri Dhamma Thera in May 1985, the present Chief Incumbent Ven. Keppitiyagoda Siriwimala Thera was appointed and has shouldered the steady development of the temple since then. The lecture halls at the basement Even though the Dharma Chakra Vidya Peeta is no more, the temple still continues to focus on educating the young in many ways. In honour of the immense worldwide service rendered by Ven. Dr. Labuduwe Siri Dhamma Thera, a pre-school was established in January 1992 under the guidance of Chief Incumbent Ven. Keppitiyagoda Siriwimala Thera. It was named Siri Dham Pre-school and celebrated its 20th anniversary last year. To further uplift the standard of Buddhist education, the Getambe Rajopavanaramaya also manages Sri Amarawansa Dhamma School which accommodates around 3,000 students under the care of 69 committed teachers.