Click here for photos from some early exploration around Colombo, including a visit to the Gangaramaya Buddhist Temple. We also stopped by the rooftop bar of the Movenpick Hotel, where you can get great views of Colombo's western coastline, including the controversial Port City Colombo which China is developing.
Colombo is the largest city in Sri Lanka, with a population of about 800,000. It has a strong Dutch influence, given that Sri Lanka was colonized by the Dutch in 1658 at a time when the country was known as Ceylon.
70% of Sri Lankans are Buddhist. There are some 6,000 Buddhist monasteries in Sri Lanka, and more than 15,000 monks make up the country's total population of 21 million.
Some things we've learned about Buddha so far:
- Every pose has a unique meaning. The sitting position shown in the photo above is Buddha's virasana (heroic) posture. If the soles of both feet were turned upward, it would be the lotus position.
- Buddha's hand gestures are known as mudras. There are 6 unique gestures. In the photo above, the hands are in a meditative position, reflecting mental concentration. If one of the hands were raised, that would be Buddha's teaching gesture.
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