The London Buddhist Vihara ( Sinhala:ලන්ඩන් බෞද්ධ විහාරය ''Landan Bauddha Viharaya'') is one of the main

Theravada ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

temples in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The Vihara was the first Sri Lankan Buddhist monastery to be established outside

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

. Established in 1926, the Vihara is managed by the Anagarika Dharmapala Trust in

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...

. The current chief

bhikkhu A ''bhikkhu'' (Pali: भिक्खु, Sanskrit: भिक्षु, ''bhikṣu'') is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male and female monastics ("nun", ''bhikkhunī'', Sanskrit ''bhikṣuṇī'') are members of the Sangha (Buddhist ...

of the Vihara is Ven Bogoda Seelawimala Nayaka Thera, who is also the Chief Sangha Nayaka of Great Britain. The Vihara building, Grade II listed, was the social club for the

Bedford Park garden suburb Bedford Park is a suburban development in Chiswick, London, begun in 1875 under the direction of Jonathan Carr, with many large houses in British Queen Anne Revival style by Norman Shaw and other leading Victorian era architects including Edwa ...

until 1939. The building was designed by

Norman Shaw Richard Norman Shaw RA (7 May 1831 – 17 November 1912), also known as Norman Shaw, was a British architect who worked from the 1870s to the 1900s, known for his country houses and for commercial buildings. He is considered to be among the g ...

; the interior, now much modified, was by Edward John May.

History

Srimath Anagarika Dharmapala (1864-1933)

The London Buddhist Vihara was founded in 1926 by

Anagarika Dharmapala Anagārika Dharmapāla (Pali: ''Anagārika'', ; Sinhala: Anagārika, lit., si, අනගාරික ධර්මපාල; 17 September 1864 – 29 April 1933) was a Sri Lankan Buddhist revivalist and a writer. Anagarika Dharmapāla is not ...

. One of the temple's main benefactors during its early days was Mary Foster, who financed ‘Foster House’ in Ealing. This was the first Sri Lankan Buddhist temple established outside Asia and was named the London Buddhist Vihara in 1926. Shortly afterwards, the Vihara moved to Gloucester Road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, where it continued until the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. During the war, the temple premises were requisitioned, and the monks returned to Ceylon. In 1955, the Vihara reopened in

Ovington Square Ovington Square is a garden square in central London's Knightsbridge district. It lies between Brompton Road to the north-west (reached via Ovington Gardens) and Walton Street to the south-east. History The freehold property on which the squa ...

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End. Toponymy Knightsbridge is an ancien ...

under the initiative of Sir Cyril de Zoysa. Narada Nayaka Thera became the chief

of the Vihara in 1958. The Vihara moved to Heathfield Gardens, Chiswick in 1964. Hammalawa Saddhatissa Nayaka Thera subsequently became the chief Bhikkhu of the Vihara and was succeeded in 1985 by Dr Medagama Vajiragnana Nayaka Thera.Buddhist missionary in the West after WW II
/ref> In 1994, The Vihara moved to its present premises at The Avenue, Chiswick. Ven Bogoda Seelawimala Nayaka Thera was appointed as the chief bhikkhu in May 2008. The London Buddhist Vihara has several resident bhikkhus from Sri Lanka, and conducts and actively engages in religious Buddhist activities in the region.

Building

The Vihara building was the social club for the

until 1939. The architect,

Richard Norman Shaw Richard Norman Shaw RA (7 May 1831 – 17 November 1912), also known as Norman Shaw, was a British architect who worked from the 1870s to the 1900s, known for his country houses and for commercial buildings. He is considered to be among the g ...

, designed the exterior in 1877-8; the interior, now much modified, was by the architect Edward John May. The building was Grade II listed in 1970. File:Plans for Bedford Park Club by Norman Shaw 1878.jpg, Plans for Bedford Park Club by

, 1878 File:Sketch of The Club, Bedford Park, 1880.jpg, Sketch of The Club, Bedford Park, 1880

References

External links

*
London Buddhist Vihara 90th Anniversary & Anagarika Dharmapala Tribute by Mr.Amal Abeyawardene
{{Authority control Buddhist monasteries in England Buddhist temples in London Buildings and structures in Chiswick Chiswick Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Ealing Religion in the London Borough of Ealing Sri Lankan diaspora Theravada Buddhist monasteries 1926 establishments in England

History

Building

See also

References

External links