The Seema Malakaya is a small Buddhist meditation centre on an island in Beira Lake, reached by a causeway from the Gangaramaya Temple complex. Designed by Geoffrey Bawa — Sri Lanka's most celebrated architect — and completed in 1985, it is one of his finest works: a series of low platforms and pavilions that seem to float on the water, built in traditional Sri Lankan architectural forms but with a distinctly modern spatial sensibility.
The effect is serene. The island is used for religious ceremonies and meditation, and is a working place of worship rather than a tourist attraction; it is worth visiting with that understanding. Shoes must be removed at the causeway entrance, and the complex is free to enter as a place of religious significance.