Tsunami Honganji Viharaya (big Buddha statue) image

Tsunami Honganji Viharaya (big Buddha statue)

Memorial estate

One of the Best Places To Visits in Peraliya


Address

537R+6MG, Peraliya, Sri Lanka

Website

amazinglanka.com

Contact

+94 912 275 793

Rating on Google Maps

4.70 (352 reviews)

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Working Hours

  • Tuesday: Open 24 hours
  • Wednesday: Open 24 hours
  • Thursday: Open 24 hours
  • Friday: Open 24 hours
  • Saturday: Open 24 hours
  • Sunday: Open 24 hours
  • Monday: Open 24 hours

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: statue (12) train (10) people (10) tsunami (9) Tsunami (8) Buddha (7)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 4/5 Seevali De A. 4 years ago on Google β€’ 273 reviews
    Dec 2004 Tsunami Memorial Five of us visited Tsunami Honganji Vihara on 26th December 2019, exactly fifteen years after the 2004 boxing day tsunami - the most destructive natural disaster to hit Sri Lanka. Over 2000 lost their lives at this village, Peraliya. 1700 of these were caught hapless inside an express train that was plying from Colombo to Galle along the rail-track only a short distance from the sea. The train had halted as there were people on the railway line that was lying above the surrounding land filled with water from the first wave of the tsunami. When the train stopped people climbed on to the stationary train. The second more forceful wave swept the train off the ground along with the people. Most people on the train perished. Thousands of families were devasted in this village. There were many visitors at this temple on that fifteenth anniversary day to remember the lost and loved ones. We too participated in the Buddhist commemoration activities conducted in the evening. The yellow coloured compassionate serene statue standing in the middle of a lake is said to be the replica of the Bhamian Buddha in Afghanistan destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. The 30-metre statue gazes out into the Indian ocean that brought such destruction to that "Peraliya" coastal village. The statue had been built with Japanese assistance. Entrance is free. Since this is a place of worship visitors are required to be modestly dressed. Footwear are left at the entrance. Whilst there, we heard stories of the disaster from several survivors. It was a moment and a place for quiet contemplation remembering and imagining what it would have been for the unsuspecting victims!
    3 people found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 3/5 Nithin M A. 4 years ago on Google
    My Google Review # 000023. There are enough Buddha statues to see in Sri Lanka. This one is specifically from Japan to remember the Tsunami event. Did not agree with the thought of money spent for this effort. The monies could have been utilized in a better way for the communities affected. Date of Experience # March 2019.
    4 people found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 5/5 Nandun K. 9 months ago on Google β€’ 480 reviews
    built in memorizing the devastating tsunami hit Sri Lanka... so peaceful and elegant viharaya.....
    1 person found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 4/5 Sarah G. 4 years ago on Google β€’ 103 reviews
    Very nice and big, 18m tall, Buddha statue to remember the deaths from the December 2004 Tsunami who hit hard the small town of Peraliya and Hikkaduwa, above all the train station where a train got stuck with the first wave and 1200 people died from the train only... There is a museum with pics, some really hard to watch, of the days following the tragedy, 1 km North, more or less.
    2 people found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 4/5 Travel Life S. 1 year ago on Google β€’ 331 reviews
    This Buddha statue was opened on the 26th of December 2006 at Paraliya as a memorial to the over 35,000 Sri Lankans killed by the Tsunami on the 26th December 2004. This statue is a exact replica of the 5th Century 175 feet Barmiyan Buddha Statue destroyed by the Muslim Fundamentalists in Afghanistan. This replica was created using the earliest known sketches of the statue.
    1 person found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 5/5 Chathura W. 5 years ago on Google
    Place you can drop in if you are passing hikkaduwa . Parking available . You could visit Sea Turtle hatchery Hikkaduwa which is in the opposite side of this vihara. Seenigama dewalaya few km ahead . And tsunami museum . Safe to bring kids .
    2 people found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 4/5 Afsan Hasan K. 3 years ago on Google
    We stopped by Peraliya on our way to Hikkaduwa, where the tsunami-rail disaster (largest single rail disaster in world history by death toll, with probably 1,700 fatalities or more) occurred when a crowded passenger train was destroyed on a coastal railway in Sri Lanka by tsunami which followed the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
    1 person found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 5/5 sheila d. 1 year ago on Google β€’ 121 reviews
    Quick stop here to see memorial from tsunami that came through in 2004 now with actual warning systems available to Sri Lanka people

  • 5/5 Tobias 2 months ago on Google β€’ 61 reviews New
    Nice place for a short stop. The guides (one monk) were very friendly and happy to explain everything about the tsunami.

  • 4/5 Chris 2 years ago on Google
    Beautiful statue. However, the belonging photo museum is disappointing. One can find better ones nearby.

  • 5/5 Denis C. 4 years ago on Google
    It is sad and unbelievable how powerful mother nature is, however is a good place to see some pictures of the tsunami and might make you an idea of it. God bless those people.

  • 5/5 UD U. 5 years ago on Google
    As with most statues or munuments the meaning is always greater than the representation - donated by Japan the statue and area is very pleasant and gives a area for mourning - the monument to the railway victims killed by the Tsunami sets a more striking example.Entarance free of charge

  • 5/5 Philipp N. 1 year ago on Google
    Shocking to see how big the Tsunami wave was. Absolutely worth to visit.

  • 5/5 iran madushanka S. 1 year ago on Google β€’ 1 review
    Tsunami Honganji Vihara Located approximately a 7-minute drive away from Hikkaduwa (3.7 Kilometers), lies a quaint little Monastery, with a pond surrounded by lush greenery and views of the ocean. The highlight of the site is a small island located right in the middle of the pond which houses a brilliant Buddha statue where the god stands tall facing the ocean waves. The statue features Lord Buddha posing the Abhaya mudra which is a symbol of protection and fearlessness. The monument was built after the tsunami of 2004 which claimed thousands of people’s lives and affected millions. The statue symbolises the god claiming that the people are now safe and he will continue to protect the people from harm.
    1 person found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 5/5 izzy S. 1 month ago on Google β€’ 2 reviews New
    Nice place to visit andYou can also get good experience
    1 person found this review helpful πŸ‘


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