Buddhism
Buddhism affects the majority of the Sri Lankan population, who practice Theravāda Buddhism. Stemming from the Sthaviravāda school, or "Teaching of the Ancients" in Sanskrit, this is a conservative Buddhism that remains faithful to the teachings professed by Gautama Siddharta in his discourses and collected by his contemporaries. The ultimate goal of followers of this doctrine is to attain Nirvāna. To achieve this, they must follow the five precepts of Buddhism as far as possible: respect all forms of life, do not steal, keep control of one's senses and do not commit adultery, do not lie, and do not consume toxic substances (alcohol, drugs). If respecting these five precepts doesn't necessarily lead to nirvana, it at least ensures that practitioners don't reincarnate in lower levels of life (animal, vegetable or spirit worlds).
The life of Buddha. The Indian prince Siddhartha Gautama was born in 560 or 623 B.C. in the gardens of Lumbini (today in Nepal), his father reigning over the principality of Kapilavastu, on the Indian side of the Himalayas. The Buddha is therefore not a legendary figure, but a historical figure whose life is well documented. His mother died shortly after his birth, and his father transferred all his affection to this only child. To protect him from the misery of the world, he forbade him to stray from the immediate vicinity of the palace. At 16, he married a princess cousin. At 28, he leaves the palace to explore the surrounding area. He had four encounters that totally changed his vision of the world and of life. First, a decrepit old man who teaches him that youth doesn't last. Then he meets a man suffering from the Black Death, who teaches him about the disease. Then, the sight of a corpse on a pyre makes him discover the reality of death. On his fourth outing, he met a serene ascetic beggar in the midst of all his suffering. At the age of 29, he fled into the forest, leaving behind wife and child. Wishing to escape suffering, he first followed the ascetic's example. For seven years, he devoted himself to yoga, eating very little. But he saw these hardships as pointless toil, so he immersed himself in meditation and finally experienced Enlightenment, attained under a tree in Bodhgaya, India. He becomes a Buddha, an Enlightened being. Man must follow a path between asceticism and hedonism: the middle way. Buddhism, like Hinduism, believes in reincarnation. Whoever succeeds in putting an end to the cycle of reincarnations will cease to suffer and attain Nirvāna. For the rest of his life, Buddha led a pilgrim's life to put into practice his doctrine, which he preached by offering his own life as a model. He rarely answered the questions his disciples put to him, so writings on his sermons are very rare. At the age of 80, in 480 BC, he died. He lies on his right side and waits to enter Nirvāna.
The beginnings of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Theravāda Buddhism was introduced to the island in the 3rd century BC by the monk Mahinda and the nun Sangmitta, children of the Indian emperor Ashoka. These missionaries were commissioned to transmit the teachings of Buddha to the kingdom of Anuradhapura. To do so, they brought with them a cutting from the Bo Tree (or "Bodhi Tree", the tree under which Siddhartha Gautama attained Enlightenment), whose descendant can still be seen today in the sacred city: the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi. Sri Lanka's two great historical chronicles, the Dipavansa and Mahavansa, recount their wanderings around the island and how they converted King Devànampiya Tissa to Buddhism. Mahinda and Sangmitta both died out in Anuradhapura, just over 200 years BC. They were instrumental in spreading Buddhism not only in Sri Lanka, but also in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. All these countries still follow the Theravāda school.
Places of worship. The island's Buddhist heritage is particularly rich, with several sites listed by UNESCO: the sacred city of Anuradhapura, the ancient capital of Polonnaruwa, the sacred city of Kandy and the cave-temple of Dambulla(Dambulla Rock Temple). There are some 6,000 temples on the island, often with identical structures: a sanctuary containing one or more reclining or seated Buddha statues, a stupa, a Bo tree, and an outdoor statue of Buddha, usually standing or seated. Sri Lanka's landscapes are dotted with these great white stupas, also known as dagobas or chedis: large, bell-shaped brick structures, visible for miles around, which most often contain relics of Buddha. The world's largest is the Jetavanamaraya Stupa in Anuradhapura. There are an estimated 15,000 Buddhist monks in the country. They take a vow of poverty, have no possessions and live off alms offered by the island's inhabitants. Draped in their ample saffron tunics and shaven heads, you'll meet them mainly in and around the temples. You may even come across them in the towns. You should avoid touching them - especially if you're a woman - try to hold your head slightly below theirs as a sign of respect, and of course ask their permission before taking any photographs. Although considered sacred by a large part of the population, it should not be forgotten that monks are also actively involved in the political life of the country. Recent years have seen the spread of a radical movement of nationalist monks, particularly virulent towards the country's Hindu and Muslim communities.
Buddhism in everyday life. The lives of Sri Lankan Buddhists are governed by the lunar calendar. Each full-moon day, called poya in Sinhalese, is a national holiday. It corresponds touposatha, a monthly day dedicated to observing the teachings of Buddha. The faithful, dressed entirely in white for the occasion, go to the temples to make flower offerings to Buddha, burn incense to purify themselves and light oil lamps symbolizing enlightenment. The rest of the day is devoted to prayer, meditation and listening to readings of sacred texts by monks. On this day, no meat or alcohol is consumed. The most important Buddhist festivals take place on full-moon days, the most famous being the Esala Perahera at the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy.
Notable sites: Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo, Sri Dalada Maligawa and the sacred city of Kandy, the sacred city of Polonnaruwa, Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura, Dambulla Rock Temple, Adam's Peak(Sri Pada), Mihintale Peak, Kalutara Chaitya & Bodhiya Temple.
Hinduism
Hinduism is mainly practiced by Tamils. At the beginning of the 20th century, Hindus still represented nearly a quarter of the island's population. The Sri Lankan conflict forced many Tamils to leave the country. According to some estimates, Hindus now make up only 11 per cent of the country's population, concentrated mainly in the northern and eastern parts of the island. Hinduism was introduced before Buddhism by the main dynasties that ruled South India: Chola, Pandya and Pallava. The temples are called kovil and abound with colors and sculptures of different gods on their gopuram, their imposing entrance tower.
The principles of Hinduism. Hindus are polytheistic and worship the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity of the gods Brahmā, Vishnu and Shiva. They worship both male and female gods. Brahmā is the god of creation. He is often depicted with four heads and his consort is the goddess Sarasvati. Vishnu is the god of balance. He is represented with blue skin, four arms and is accompanied by Garuda, his half-man, half-bird mount. Vishnu has a dozen avatars (or reincarnations), including Rāmā, the hero of the Rāmayana, Krishna, the god with the flute, and finally Buddha. His shakti, or associated female deity, is Lakshmi, who represents wealth and good fortune. Shiva, the god of destruction but also of the rebirth of the universe, is without doubt the most important god in Sri Lanka. He appears in many forms and under hundreds of names, depending on the attributes he represents. His support animal is the Nandi, an ox. His wife is the goddess Parvati whose mount is a tiger or a lion. She is the goddess of procreation and is a role model for Hindu women. Together they have two sons. One is a pacifist, he is Ganesh, the god with the head of an elephant. He is worshipped for protection and to remove obstacles that stand in his way. He is a very popular deity who is also present in some Buddhist temples. The other is a warrior, he is called Skanda, Murugan or Karkiteya depending on the region. He is most often depicted with a dominant red color. He is particularly venerated in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, and more precisely in the Kataragama complex (south-east), in Trincomalee (east), and in Jaffna (north). You will probably see the swastika in various temples: don't worry, it is a sacred and positive ancient Hindu symbol that represents the cosmic forces that govern the universe. The swastika often accompanies representations of the god Ganesh.
Caste. Hinduism divides individuals into different castes. The highest caste is that of the Brahmins, who hold the most important social positions, then comes that of the Kshatriyas, the warriors, followed by the caste of the Vaishyas (traders, farmers and craftsmen), and finally the servants, the Sûdras . This system is still followed today by the Indian Tamils of the Highlands who arrived with the British. The Sri Lankan Tamils have inherited a system that has been modified by successive kings of the island. They make a distinction between the Hindus of the north and the east, as well as between the farmers, who occupy the top of the social ladder and constitute almost half of the island's Hindus, and the inhabitants of the east coast who are mainly fishermen. It is important to note that out-of-caste people, commonly called untouchables in India, do not exist in Sri Lanka.
Notable sites: the Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil in Jaffna, the Keerimalai Naguleswaram Kovil in Kankesanthurai, the Nagapooshani Amman Kovil in Nainativu, the Konesawaram Kovil in Fort Frederick in Trincomalee, Adam's Bridge in Talaimannar, the Sri Munneswaram Devasthanam in Chilaw, the Sri Murugan Kovil in Slave Island (Colombo).
Islam
Islam arrived on the island in the seventh century with the first Arab merchants who came to trade with ancient Serendib. Several of them married a local woman, converted her to Islam, and then settled on the island, furthering the spread of Muhammad's religion. The descendants of these merchants are called Moors of Sri Lanka. Some Muslims from Kerala also came to live on the island later. The arrival of the Portuguese settlers in the 16th century was tragic for the Muslim community: their population drastically decreased due to the policy of conversion and persecution carried out by the Portuguese. The Javanese and Malays, Muslims who came from the Dutch and British colonies in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, contributed to the revival of Islam in the island. The 19th century also saw the arrival of Muslims from India and Pakistan. Today, the vast majority of Sri Lankan Muslims are Sunni and speak Tamil as their primary language. More recently, Saudi Arabia's significant investment in religious structures has encouraged the emergence of a more radical Islam. It was an organization influenced by Salafist ideas, the National Thowheeth Jama'ath, that was behind the deadly attacks in Galle Dutch Easter 2019.
Notable sites: the red mosque of Pettah(Al Jamiul Alfar Masjid), the white mosque in Galle(Meeran Jumma Masjid), the great mosque of Beruwela(Masjid Al Abrar).
Christianity
It would have been introduced in the island around the year 60 of our era by Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. After having founded seven churches in Kerala, he went to Taprobane (then the name of Sri Lanka) to try to evangelize the natives, without much success. It was not until the 16th century and the arrival of the Portuguese that Catholicism experienced an important expansion. Then, with the Dutch and British settlers, Protestantism predominated. Today, Catholicism is practiced by more than 80% of Sri Lankan Christians. The most remarkable churches are in the south of the country and in the regions of Mannar, Puttalam and Negombo.
Notable sites: Holy CrossNational Shrine in Marawila, St Anne's National Shrine in Alankuda,Galle Dutch Reformed Church or Grotto Kerk.
