Travel to Lord Ganesh Temple in Sella Kataragama

Hi there,

I just always wanted to go on a family trip using my own money. Because they were always with me through thick and thin no matter what the situation is. It's my time to show some love. I have a quite big family😁. Three sisters and one brother, 3 of them have married and have 3 nephews and a niece as well.

So, we decided to go to Kataragama. The best thing is this time father also join with us, he is very reluctant to go on trips. 😅 Anyway, I have shared so much about Kataragama, earlier. So, this is about our second stop.

Sella Kataragama Lord Ganesh Temple

Sella Kataragama

The place is around 262km away from the capital, Colombo, 40km from my homeland just km from Kataragama, which is one of the popular tourist attractions in the country. The place represents the multi-cultural pride of the nation with Hindu, Buddhist, and Indigenous beliefs. On One side of the road there is the temple of Lord Ganesha and on the other side Goddess Lakshmi. So, this time we went to the Lord Ganesha shrine.

To enter the area, you have to go through this beautiful road, surrounded by trees and nicely arranged shops. There are various types of antiques, handmade items, souvenirs, etc. And you have to cross the famous Menik river to enter the premises.

On the way

Are there any Hindu friends with me?. Well, I am Buddhist, but I highly respect other religions and cultures as well. According to Hindu beliefs, Lord Ganesh helps in removing obstacles for having wisdom. Have you seen a picture of him? An elephant head, with a big belly and 4 arms. There's a big story behind this according to the literature.

The history

God Skanda, a son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi, came to Sri Lanka and lived in the Southern part of the country. He had a crush on a local girl called Valli but was unable to win her love. So, he asked his brother Ganesh for help. As Valli was scared of elephants, Ganesh planned to appear as an elephant and Skanda to save her. Same trick as the present, right. 😅😅 But Ganesh gave him a sacred water pot to spray on him to come into human shape. But anyway, when initiating the plan, she was choking on food. So Skanda threw the water and helped her. 😁 Anyway he won her love, but lord Ganesh couldn't come back to the same shape.

Alongside the Menik river

The shrine is really architecturally beautiful and filled with Hindu beliefs. It was nearby the Menik river and in the rainy season, it was almost filled with water. We performed rituals there.

Mahasen Temple

There is a temple dedicated to king Mahasen as well. You can worship there as well. And also, some other shrines of different gods like God Shive, Valli, Saman, and Kataragama can be seen.

The Family

So, it was a great day after all. A quality time with the family!

Until the next time!

Thank you.
Best Regards!