The Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara or Kelaniya Temple is a Buddhist temple in Kelaniya, Sri Lanka,
10 Km from Colombo. Buddhists believe the temple to have been hallowed
during the third and final visit of the Lord Buddha to Sri Lanka, 8
years after gaining enlightenment.
Its history would thus go back to before 500 BCE. The
Mahawansa records that the original Stupa at Kelaniya enshrined a
gem-studded throne on which the Buddha sat and preached. The temple
flourished during the Kotte era but much of its land was confiscated
during the Portuguese empire. Under the Dutch empire, however, there
were new gifts of land and under the patronage of King Kirthi Sri
Rajasingha the temple was rebuilt. It was refurbished in the first half
of the 20th century with the help of Helena Wijewardana. The temple is
also famous for its image of the reclining Buddha statue and paintings
which depict important events in the life of the Buddha, in the history
of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, also incidents from the Jataka tales. It is
the venue for the Duruthu Maha Perehera procession each January.
