Temple etiquette – One should visit a Buddhist temple with a proper and pious mind. Temples are places where one engages in spiritual practice. Temples are also places where Buddhists can cultivate more merit
All visitors to Buddhist and Hindu temples should be appropriately dressed. In Buddhist temples this means taking off shoes and headgear and covering your shoulders and legs.
Beachwear is not appropriate and can cause offence. In large temples, the exact point at which you should take off shoes and hats is sometimes ambiguous;if in doubt, follow the locals. Finally, note that walking barefoot around temples can sometimes be more of a challenge that you might imagine when the tropical sun has heated the stone underfoot to oven like temperatures. Wimps wear socks.
Never have yourself photographed posing with a Buddha image (i.e.with your back to the image).
Two traditional Buddhist observances are only loosely followed in Sri Lanka: the rule about not pointing your feet at a Buddha image is not as widely followed as in, say, Thailand, though you occasionally see people sitting in front of Buddhas with their legs neatly tucked under them.
Equally, the traditional Buddhist rule that you should only walk around dagobas in a clockwise direction . The same shoe and dress rules apply in Hindu temples (with a couple of twists). In some, non-Hindus aren’t permitted to enter the inner shrine. In others, men must take off their shirt before entering, and women are sometimes barred entirely. In some temples you will be shown around by one of the resident monks and expected to make a donation. At other places, unofficial “guides” will sometimes materialize and insist on showing you round – for consideration. Try not to feel pressured into accepting the services of unofficial guides unless you want them.
