Description of the attraction
Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara is a Buddhist temple in Kelaniya. Located 5 km from Colombo. Buddhists believe that Buddha visited this temple on his third and final visit to Sri Lanka, eight years after attaining enlightenment. Its history thus dates back to the 5th century BC. The records of Mahavansa mention that in Kelaniya there was a throne studded with precious stones, on which Buddha sat and preached.
The temple flourished during the time of Cotte, but most of its land was confiscated during the Portuguese Empire. When the Portuguese destroyed the temple in 1510, all the sculptures and paintings of antiquity perished with it.
It is therefore a pity that there is no evidence of ancient painting and sculpture dating back to the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa period existing in the temple today. The surviving paintings and sculptures belong to the early 18th century and early 20th century.
In the Dutch Empire, however, new lands were granted to the temple and the temple was rebuilt under the patronage of King Kirti Sri Rahasinja.
The temple is also known for its image of the reclining Buddha and paintings depicting important events from the life of the Buddha, in the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, as well as incidents from the Jataka tales. It houses an 18-foot stone statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. Every January the Duruthu Maha Perehera procession takes place in the temple. The procession takes place on the day before the full moon, thousands of people from all over the country, and hundreds of tourists come to the temple to witness this spectacular spectacle.
The procession reflects the centuries-old traditions and cultural heritage of the country - old traditional folklore, folk music, rhythmic dancing and drumming, which have developed over the centuries thanks to Buddhism and Buddhist practices on the island. This procession took place for the first time in 1927. The procession consists of three separate processions at the relics of Buddha, and Vishna, Kataragama and Vibhishana.
