Matara Bodhi

The majority of the population of Matar is Buddhist. Buddhism arrived in Sri Lanka when the Buddha was still alive, and he undertook several trips to the island to spread his teachings here. With the Portuguese and Dutch colonization in the eighteenth century came other religions, but Buddhism still dominates here. The Matara Bodhi Temple is the main temple of the city. The Bo tree is the sacred tree, grown from seeds taken fromthe tree in India where Buddha reached enlightenment. They say seven Bo were planted on the island and around them, they built temples for the faithful. What surprised me is that this temple looks out onto the main street where all the buses pass, and from the street you can see people praying inside.