A Study on the changing architecture of Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka : an examination of colonial influence on Buddhist temple buildings in Galle

Abstract

The Buddhist temple could be considered as the center for dissemination of the teachings of Lord Buddha. The design of Buddhist temples plays a major role in providing the suitable environment for the users to engage in various religious activities. Therefore, Buddhist temple architecture needs to pay due attention on the philosophical aspects of Buddhism, in order to fulfill this requirement. The arrival of western colonials which began in 1505 AD., resulted in the Sri Lanka under going major transformations, which included local architecture too. This research study attempts to investigate how colonial influence has affected the Buddhist temple architecture in Sri Lanka. In doing so, attention has been paid to temples in the Galle district, mainly because of the continuo occupation of colonials in the southern coastal belt, for a period exceeding three centuries. The study highlights how the colonial influence has impacted on the ability of the Buddhist temple to convey the original concepts of Buddhist philosophy, by comparatively analyzing the changes that have taken place in Buddhist temple architecture in pre and post colonial eras.