Weherahena Temple - the somewhat different temple

Since Louise and I wanted to culturally educate ourselves after our early morning surf (6:00 am), Silva recommended that we visit the nearby tunnel temple.

The Weherahena Temple is located only about a 10-minute drive from our homestay and can easily be reached by tuk-tuk.

Upon arrival, the partially underground temple impresses with a massive 39-meter-high Buddha statue. The monk Revatha Thero, sent by his mentor, wanted to build a temple with the largest Buddha in the 20th century. The foundation stone was laid in 1939. Revatha Thero wanted the tunnel to be underground to match the story of Ummaga Jathakas.

Once inside the tunnel passages of the temple, a display of various colorful images unfolds. The entire walls are painted in vibrant colors and tell the story of Buddha.

The construction was completed in 1976, with the help of many donations from abroad. Each individual who donated was written on the walls as a thank you.

Deeper inside the intricate passages, we encounter the first monk who blesses us and gives us a white ribbon.

Now it was time for the ascent. After many stairs and some elevation gained, we reached the top of the temple. Here one becomes aware of how massive this statue really is.

At the end, I wanted to take a picture in front of the square with the Buddha in the background. Although I managed to take a photo, I was seriously admonished to NEVER turn my back on a Buddha. Sorry! Learned something for the future.

As a farewell, the temple guide gave us a beautiful lotus flower.

Back at the stay, sweaty but enriched with insights into the culture of Buddhism, Sri Lanka showed its beautiful side. As already portrayed in advance, we have a dog that we named Bruci. In the morning, before we go surfing, he visits us and greets us again after surfing and for breakfast.

Now we also spotted a monitor lizard on the street, an agama on the stairs, beautiful birds in the garden, and also made some acquaintance with Kathi. Kathi is our gecko, who likes to visit us at night.

Although the 3 days with Silva were incredibly great, and I especially enjoyed time with Louise - a friendship for life has been formed here, I am still glad to stay in one place for a whole week. Here I come, Infinity Surfcamp!