Gothami Viharaya located in the heart of Colombo, is home to some of the most beautiful murals, painted by, world renowned Sri Lankan artist George Keyt. The restoration of the temple and its murals; a project costing over Rs.70 million is funded by the temple’s Dayaka Sabha ,The George Keyt Foundation and well wishers.

The Ministry of Tourism’s pledge of Rs1. 5 million, towards this gigantic task, recognizes these paintings, as being of immense cultural value – high on the list of Sri Lanka’s many treasures and of delight to both visiting tourists and locals alike.

George Keyt is often considered Sri Lanka’s most distinguished and renowned modern painter. Keyt’s dominant style is influenced by cubism and also influenced, he has said, by his contemporary {en:Henri Matisse}.

In addition to being a painter, Keyt is considered one of contemporary Sri Lanka’s foremost poets. He outlined his perceptions and practice as a painter in a few notable essays on the vision of the painter. One of his most notable literary works was the translation of the Gita Govinda into English and Sinhalese, which translations were illustrated by his own elegant line drawings (see Martin Russell collection and Amerasinghe collections).

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