St. Lucia's Cathedral is located at Kotahena, in the
northeast of Colombo, on 18,240 sq. ft. of land, and is
dedicated to Saint Lucy. It origins from a small structure
for worship built during the Dutch occupation. The interior
of the cathedral consists of a row of ornate, larger than life statues of saints along the side aisles, sculptured
and painted in minute detail; many of these statues were
installed in 1924. Open confessionals of intricately carved
dark wood are also placed along the aisles. On the left,
in front of the sanctuary is a unique dark-skinned statue
of the Madonna called "Our Lady of Kotahena", which
is taken in procession during the annual celebrations.
Altars of white marble are located in the transepts of
the church with relics enshrined within them
Gangaramaya is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in
Colombo, started by the famous scholar monk Hikkaduwe
Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera in the late 19th Century. This
Buddhist temple includes several imposing buildings and
is situated not far from the placid waters of Beira Lake
on a plot of land that was originally a small hermitage
on a piece of marshy land. It has the main features of
a Vihara (temple), the Cetiya (Pagada) the Bodhitree,
the Vihara Mandiraya, the Seema malaka (assembly
hall for monks) and the Relic Chamber. In addition, a
museum, a library, a residential hall, a three storeyed
Pirivena, educational halls and an alms hall are also on
the premises