Florida Buddhist Vihara
Florida Buddhist Vihara is a Theravada Buddhist temple in Tampa, Florida. Rev. Nanda Thero who was the Interim Chief Incumbent at the Houston Buddhist Vihara, proposed to establish a Buddhist Center in Tampa. With his initiation, Kokkawita Wipulasara Thero who at the time, was residing at the Buddhist Vihara in Sacramento, California, (under the Chief Incumbent Bhante Madawela Seelavimala), undertook the task of developing a center to serve the Buddhist community in the South East region.
The immense enthusiasm of the Sri Lankan community in Florida along with the assurance of future financial support pledged by the benevolent devotee Shani Wije of Houston, Texas, laid the foundation for the commencement of a Buddhist Center in Tampa. On December 6, 1997, the Florida Buddhist Vihara Inc. (Temple) was initiated in an apartment at the address of 5903, Marta Drive in Tampa, Florida under the guidance of Kokkawita Wipulasara Thero. The contributions made by the devotees supported the day-to-day operation of the Temple. Subsequently, the Florida Buddhist Vihara was declared as a non-profit religious organization making the donations made to the Vihara became tax deductible. Another milestone in the effort to establish a permanent Buddhist center was reached on June 12, 1999 when Shani Wije of Houston, Texas purchased a land with a temporary structure and donated it to Florida Buddhist Vihara Inc. in remembrance of their parents the late Shelton Wijesinghe and the late Beatice Jayasinghe. With the continuing support of the devotees in Florida and other parts of the country, the rustic dueling and the land around it has been transformed into a peaceful surrounding with a Buddha shrine where patrons can pray, meditate, and carry out religious ceremonies with minimal interruptions from the outside world. In an effort to impart the principles of Buddhism to the young children, the Buddhist priests at the Florida Buddhist Vihara Inc. have been devoting their time to conduct Sunday classes every week.