Ganagaramaya Temple, one of the oldest temples in Colombo which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited on trips to Sri Lanka, has all the features of a Buddhist Temple – a vihara, cetiya, the Bodhi tree, an assembly hall for monks and a relic chamber believed to contain Buddha’s hair relics. But for years, there was a mysterious space left empty. “For unknown reasons, there were 10 small cubicles next to the main Buddha statue which had the names of Hindu gods and goddesses,” says Jayachandra, a businessman who, alongside his wife Nalani Madhushani Wickramarathna, took it upon themselves to fill these spaces. “My wife happened to meet the revered Assaji Thero, the head monk of Gangaramaya temple during one of her visits. He casually asked if she could donate the statues of the gods and goddesses.”
The 10 idols are of Shiva, Ganesha, Krishna, Vishnu, Muruga, Lakshmi, Saraswathy, Kali, and Sri Lankan deities – Pattini and Sumana Saman – all made of marble. After they were sculpted by craftsmen in Jaipur, Jayachandra consulted Radhakrishna Gollapinni Seshappa, a well-known priest from Bengaluru, to take charge of consecration. He led 10 priests through three days of ceremonies adhering to the shastras, which saw participation from locals across religions. “Though a majority of Sri Lankans are followers of Buddhism, there are Hindus from various parts of India who are Sri Lankan residents. In fact, some of the monks have a deep knowledge of Shiva and Kali and their spiritual significance. The decision to consecrate the Hindu Gods in the Buddhist temple, though unique, promotes inter-religious harmony and goodwill,” says Seshappa.