International Buddhist Museum, Buddhist museum in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
The International Buddhist Museum is a museum building in Kandy containing collections from seventeen Asian countries spread across two floors. It displays artwork, ancient texts, statues, and other objects that represent different Buddhist traditions.
The building originally served as a government office during British colonial rule before being repurposed as a museum. The museum itself opened in 2011 and has since presented Buddhist traditions from across Asia.
The museum showcases how Buddhism developed in different Asian countries, visible in the various art styles and religious objects on display. You can see how people in places like Japan, Thailand, and China practiced and expressed this faith in their own ways.
The museum sits next to the Temple of the Tooth and is easy to reach when visiting this part of Kandy. The building is clearly marked and straightforward to find on foot.
This was the first museum of its kind anywhere in the world, focusing specifically on how Buddhism spread and developed across Asia. This particular approach makes it special for anyone wanting to understand how religions grow and differ from region to region.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
