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

Theravada ''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' (anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or ''Dharma (Buddhi ...

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The Vihara was the first

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

n Buddhist monastery to be established outside

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

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

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

. The current chief

bhikkhu A ''bhikkhu'' (, ) is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male, and female monastics (''bhikkhunī''), are members of the Sangha (Buddhist community). The lives of all Buddhist monastics are governed by a set of rules called the pratimok� ...

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 In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

, was the social club for

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district in West London, split between the London Borough of Hounslow, London Boroughs of Hounslow and London Borough of Ealing, Ealing. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist Wi ...

's Bedford Park garden suburb 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

The London Buddhist Vihara was founded in 1926 by Anagarika Dharmapala. 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 The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (often known by its initialism as RBKC) is an Inner London, Inner London borough with Royal borough, royal status. It is the List of English districts by area, smallest borough in London and the secon ...

, where it continued until the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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

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

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,

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 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 Bedford Park garden suburb 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

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 File:LondonBuddhistVihara02.jpg, View inside the meditation room, formerly a billiard hall, 2024

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 Buddhist organisations based in the United Kingdom

History

Building

See also

References

External links