Kalutara Temple, Lunuganga & Brief Garden

The Kalutara Vihara is a Buddhist temple built in the 1960s which holds the distinction of being the only shrine in the world that is hollow. It is three stories high.

Kalutara temple is one of the country’s most holy places of worship and attracts the South west Buddhist community as well as tourists. Inside the Dogoba is a magnificent array of paintings describing the stories of Buddha.

Lunuganga Estate was the country home of the renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa. In 1947 the garden led Bawa to decide to become an architect. As he went on to become Sri Lanka’s and one of Asia’s most prolific and influential architects, the garden at the Lunuganga estate remained his first muse and experimental laboratory for new ideas.

Bawa continued to change and experiment with the garden’s spaces and structures throughout his life until his final illness in 1998. The gardens are now open to the public and the buildings on the estate are run as a country house hotel.

Highlight

• Kalutara Temple
• Lunuganga Estate
• Array of paintings describing the stories of Buddha