Getambe Sacred Bo tree bestows blessings

by Ganga Ratnayake

The lion statue, stupa and the renowned Bo tree at the temple premises

When one travels along the Colombo - Kandy road, vehicles slowing down in front of a certain Buddhist temple rising behind a wall depicting elephants is a common sight. The vehicles would stop for a moment, someone would hop out and rush to the roadside till, stuff in some coins or notes, quickly pay homage and rush back.

The others in the vehicle would briefly rise from their seats and bow their heads in due respect to the large sacred Bo tree of this temple. Paying homage in a fleeting moment to the much revered Bo tree of the Getambe Rajopavanaramaya, they seek blessings for a safe journey and success in their endeavours.

The Getambe Rajopavanaramaya rests right above the bank of the Mahaweli River, near the historic Getambe ferry, at the eastern edge of the Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens. Swept by the chilled breeze from the River Mahaweli, the big Bo tree, small shrine room and stupa emerge behind a cream-toned parapet wall featuring a row of ornate elephant head sculptures.

When we visited the temple recently, we met the Chief Incumbent of Getambe Rajopavanaramaya, Ven. Keppitiyagoda Siriwimala Thera and incumbent, Ven. Galketiwala Rathana Wansa Thera who provided us with valuable information pertaining to the temple’s historical background, development and services - religious and social.

Gannoruwa battle

In March 1638, the battle of Gannoruwa was led by Prince Maha Asthana (who was better known as King Rajasinghe II); he and his two elder brothers (Kumarasinghe and Wijayapala), with their armies, attacked the Portuguese from three directions. Once they won the battle, King Rajasinghe II planted three Bo saplings to commemorate their victory at the exact locations where the three brothers had camped.

Ven. Keppitiyagoda Siriwimala Thera	Ven. Dr. Labuduwe Siri Dhamma  Thera

As time passed, the Bo tree planted in the name of Prince Kumarasinghe faced calamities as some non-Buddhists began to sacrifice animals in the premises as part of their religious rites. After many years of struggle, a Buddhist society named Sri Samagree Dharmawardena reclaimed the land along with the Bo tree and built a small temple there in 1928.

Chief incumbents

In 1938 Ven. Yatalamatte Amarawansa Thera became the Chief Incumbent at the temple and developed the site further and founded the Getambe Rajopavanaramaya. Ven. Amarawansa Thera had two disciples, namely Ven. Labuduwe Siri Dhamma Thera and Ven. Keppitiyagoda Siriwimala Thera, who were entrusted with his vision to establish a higher education centre for Bhikkhus in the temple grounds.

After the demise of Ven. Amarawansa Thera in 1957, Ven. Dr. Labuduwe Siri Dhamma Thera became the Chief Incumbent. He was a great scholar, specialising in five languages and having two university degrees as well as a Ph. D. from Oxford, England. Ven. Siri Dhamma Thera founded the notable Dharma Chakra Vidya Peeta attached to the temple which became a world-renowned centre of higher education for foreign Bhikkhus, especially those from Nepal and Bangladesh. The centre also drew lay intellectuals from worldwide, and they received an education in Buddhism and participated in meditation sessions.

After the demise of Ven. Siri Dhamma Thera in May 1985, the present Chief Incumbent Ven. Keppitiyagoda Siriwimala Thera was appointed and has shouldered the steady development of the temple since then.

Educating the young

The lecture halls at the basement

Even though the Dharma Chakra Vidya Peeta is no more, the temple still continues to focus on educating the young in many ways. In honour of the immense worldwide service rendered by Ven. Dr. Labuduwe Siri Dhamma Thera, a pre-school was established in January 1992 under the guidance of Chief Incumbent Ven. Keppitiyagoda Siriwimala Thera. It was named Siri Dham Pre-school and celebrated its 20th anniversary last year.

To further uplift the standard of Buddhist education, the Getambe Rajopavanaramaya also manages Sri Amarawansa Dhamma School which accommodates around 3,000 students under the care of 69 committed teachers. The Dhamma School is divided into senior and junior sections and runs parallel to a separate English Dhamma School in the premises.

As a Government initiative to enhance computer literacy among children and youth of the country, the Getambe temple also runs a Nenasala IT Centre in the premises.

Bo tree and deluge

Swept by the constant breeze from the River Mahaweli meandering below, the courtyard of the temple houses the big Bo tree which sits between the Stupa and the small shrine room. Getambe temple is synonymous with the Bodhi pooja (offerings to the Bo tree) where we often see devotees circling the Bo tree, holding small pots filled to the brim with water while chanting stanzas.

In fact, the Bo tree of Getambe temple, which stood for centuries, has gained immeasurable reverence and faith especially following an incident on August 14, 1947. It was the famous yet catastrophic deluge that wiped out almost everything on its way, but did no harm, none whatsoever, to the Bo tree of Getambe and the little shrine room sitting beside it.

The news travelled far and wide and devotees from all parts of the country witnessed this miracle and paid homage to the sacred Bo tree which survived unscathed. Thus, it became a norm for people to often rush to the Getambe temple and perform a Bodhi pooja during times of success and happiness, as well as times of loss and misery.

Service to society

The stupa and the Bo tree

There are about dozen societies and committees in the temple to diligently take care of the welfare and religious activities regularly. Under such programs, the temple offers alms and donations to destitute homes and children’s homes. In addition, each year during May, the temple declares a Vesak Week and undertakes a multitude of religious and charity programs. This also includes chanting of Pirith and offering alms to the patients of hospitals.

The temple conducts weekly Bodhi pooja and the monthly Poya day religious rites where thousands of devotees from near and far partake regularly.

Marking another milestone to the temple was the 68th Upasampada (higher ordination) ceremony of the Ramanna Nikaya. It was held at the Getambe Rajopavanaramaya under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa where about 475 Bhikkhus received higher ordination from July 23 to August 1 last year.

The Getambe Rajopavanaramaya is not only frequented by Buddhist devotees, but is also a place of worship sought by people of various religions and races. They all come to pay their homage with utmost respect so as to seek blessings during good times and bad times alike, as well as to bring solace and peace to their troubled minds.