When a Sinhalese gentleman, Mr. A.A. Geris de Alwis, came to Malaya in 1888, the quiet little town of Taiping was the commercial and administrative centre of the state of Perak. By virtue of this fact, Taiping was the home to most Buddhists in the state including the Sinhalese, Siamese, Burmese and Chinese. With Mr. Alwis came his Sri Lankan culture, heritage and Buddhist faith and through these he was quick to recognise the need for a place of worship for the Buddhists in the town. Being a wealthier member of the Buddhist community in Taiping at that time, he was spurred on in 1889 to purchase a piece of land in Assam Kumbang to meet this end.That same year he constructed a temple on the piece of land in the fashion of Sinhalese temples in Sri Lanka with eaves carved in the form of half circles all round the roof. The temple still stands today although the Sri Lankan features have been removed in recent times. The result of Alwis's deed in 1889 found a place instantly in the annals of history as being the first and oldest Sinhalese Buddhist temple in Malaysia, being five years before the foundation of the Brickfields Temple in Kuala Lumpur. Six years later in 1895, Alwis founded the Dharmoda Society to look after the temple and its religious affairs.
In the year 1890, Alwis invited a Sinhalese Buddhist from Ehelamalpe Malurata District in the Central Province of Ceylon, who had retired from the British Civil Service to serve as the head monk of the newly formed Buddhist temple. He was subsequently sent to Bangkok for three years to obtain his higher ordination and was there given the name Kissaro.
In 1893 Ven. Galle Nagoda Kissaro brought a Bodhi Tree sapling from the sacred Maha Bodhi Tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, to be planted in the temple grounds. That same year a single brick wall was built surrounding the Bo sapling and later in 1901, the Sinhalese elders of the temple built two rows of broad brick walls with broad squares in between which is a feature of Sri Lankan architecture. Ven. Kissaro's efforts to pave the way for the growth and propagation of Buddhism won the respect and admiration of all Buddhists alike. He was also the only Buddhist monk in Malaya at that time who was an "Upadiya" (Pali: Upajjhaya), a monk who acts as preceptor of all other monks ordained under him.
In 1899 Alwis handed over the land he had purchased in 1889 to the Government for the purpose of worship for the Buddhist community in Taiping irrespective of colour or creed. This land was gazetted on 29th September 1899, with approval being given by the then Secretary to the Government, Mr. A. R. Venning. The land adjoining the temple was also declared a Buddhist Reserve in the year 1903 by the then Secretary to the Resident, Mr. R. G. Watson, and was named the "Bodi Langka Ram" (a misspelling for Bodhi Lankarama) after the venerated Bodhi Tree that had been brought from Sri Lanka.
Link to photocopy and transcript of original grant
In 1934, Ven. Kissaro formulated and laid down the Rules for all devotees of the temple including the Siamese and Sinhalese monks to honour and respect. By then the temple that Mr. Alwis had built had functionally become a Sima - a special building for the recital of the Patimokkha and for other legal acts of the Sangha. In the same year a new shrine hall was built for the laity in which was enshrined the images of the Buddha and Arahants built by sculptors From Sri Lanka. Ven. Kissaro remained in office as the head monk of the temple until he died on 22nd June 1940 at the age of 90, having spent around 45 years as a monk. He was succeeded by his assistant Ven. K. Sarananda who took over the position of Head Monk and worked in the temple until he returned to Ceylon in 1963.
Mr. A. A. Geris de Alwis was the President and Treasurer of the Society until his death in the year 1941, his position was then taken over by Mr. D. W. Attygalle. In 1945, the Taiping Buddhist Association was formed. Thirteen years later in 1958, the Association, with the aid of donations received from devotees, constructed the Dharmasala (preaching hall), which still stands till this day. The period from 1940 to 1968 saw the Venerables Sarananda, K. Mangala and H. Upatissa, all from Sri Lanka, tending to the religious needs of the devotees of the temple.
In 1976 the name of the Association was changed to Taiping Bodi Langka Ram Buddhist Association. The religious aspects of the temple were taken care of by the Venerables R. Seevali and B. Somananda, both from Sri Lanka, during the period 1971 to 1978. Owing to factors beyond the control of the managing committee, the temple had no religious guidance from 1978 to 1984. But then in 1984 a turn of events took place with the setting up of a new working committee under the guidance of Ven. Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Nayaka Thera, who was appointed the spiritual director of the temple.
With the religious guidance and encouragement of the visiting monk, Ven. M. Sumangala, a new vihara was completed before the full moon day of Wesak 1987 (unfinished)
