An ancient and deeply sacred Buddhist temple believed to have been visited by the Buddha, famed for its vivid murals and the Duruthu Perahera.

Overview

The Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, on the banks of the Kelani River just north-east of Colombo, is one of Sri Lanka's most venerated Buddhist temples. Buddhists believe the Buddha himself visited and preached here on his third and final journey to the island. The temple is celebrated for its striking white dagoba and for the richly detailed 20th-century murals by artist Solias Mendis that adorn the image house, depicting key events in Sri Lankan Buddhist history. Each January it hosts the spectacular Duruthu Perahera procession of dancers, drummers and elephants.

History

Tradition holds the site was hallowed by the Buddha's visit around 500 BCE, and the original stupa is said to have enshrined a gem-studded throne on which he sat. Renovated by Prince Uttiya after the arrival of Buddhism in the 3rd century BCE, the temple was repeatedly destroyed by invaders and by the Portuguese in 1510, then rebuilt by later kings. The present temple was substantially reconstructed between 1927 and 1946 under the patronage of the philanthropist Helena Wijewardene.