Hell on earth
“Law and religion are what keep humans in control” – Aristotle
Buddhism is not a religion, but a way of life. There are no musts and rules, but karma and its consequences. The concept of hell and heaven thereby bring punishment and reward according to deeds performed.
According to Ven. K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera, “The Buddhist concept of heaven and hell is entirely different from that in other religions. Buddhists do not accept that these places are eternal. It is unreasonable to condemn a man to eternal hell for his human weakness but quite reasonable to give him every chance to develop himself. From the Buddhist point of view, those who go to hell can work themselves upward by making use of the merit that they had acquired previously. There are no locks on the gates of hell. Hell is a temporary place and there is no reason for those beings there to suffer forever.”
The Thera adds, Buddhists never try to promote religious understanding by frightening people about terrifying hell-fire or tempting people with fascinating tales about paradise. Their main idea is character building and mental training.
At the Narahenpita Abhayaraama temple, the concept of hell is graphically presented within the temple premises. This building was 
declared open by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on January 27, last year on the invitation of the Ven Muruththettuve Ananda Thera. The architecture and design of the building is by Chandana Fernando.
The intention was to create an atmosphere where people would rethink and be scared of the punishments that hell has to offer in the afterlife, the Ven. Kirioruwe Sri Gunananda Thera says.
The wrongdoing and its relevant punishments are mentioned next to each other, so that people would be aware of what punishments tally with which wrongdoings. Paintings show that your limbs will be cut off in hell if you take the life of another. You have to climb the tree of thorns if you steal and more. The Narahenpita Abhayaraama Temple has plans to symbolically express the concept of heaven as well.
“The wise man makes his own heaven while the foolish man creates his own hell here and hereafter.” – Anonymous