A visit to the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya: A jewel ensconced in history…

Kelaniya is hallowed as a holy ground of Lord Buddha who alighted there during His third and final visit to . Thus, the Kelaniya Temple, or the “Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya” as it’s formally known, is one of the most sacred Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka.

The history of Kelaniya In 500 BC, eight years after attaining enlightenment, Lord Buddha was invited to visit Sri Lanka by King Maniakkika, ruler of the Naga Clan in Kelaniya. It is said that 500 Buddhist followers from India also came to Sri Lanka along with Lord Buddha, and settled in various locations of the country.

The “Mahavansa”, which is the oldest chronicle documenting the , states that a gem- studded throne was enshrined within a stupa built by King Maniakkika to commemorate Lord Buddha’s visit to the country. In fact, this throne was the reason for Lord Buddha’s second visit to Sri Lanka.

Three years before Lord Buddha’s third visit, this throne was at the centre of a royal family feud. It is said that Kings, Mahodhara and Chulodhara (who were uncle and nephew), belonging to the Naga Clan in Nagadheepa (present day Jaffna) were on the brink of war over this throne, as it was considered to be one of the most beautiful royal seats in the country. As the situation worsened and tension among the two factions heightened, a god named Samiddhasumana pleaded for help from Lord Buddha. And through the intervention of Lord Buddha, Chulodhara and Mahodhara made peace with each other and presented the throne to King Maniakkika. Thus, the story ends with the jeweled throne being enshrined within the Kelani Stupa in honour of Lord Buddha.

A painting at Kelaniya Temple, depicting the intervention of Lord Buddha to stop the Nagas from waging war against each

other

Kelaniya is also rumoured to have a connection with the epic of “Ramayanaya”. According to legend, Prince Rama befriended Vibhishana, brother of his foe King Ravana, during the final epic battle. Now, Lord Vibhishana is worshipped as the guardian deity of Kelaniya, and has a shrine or “Dewalaya” dedicated to him at the Kelaniya Temple.

Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya

After the construction of the Stupa by King Maniakkika, Kelaniya remained as an important holy ground for Buddhist Devotees, and was visited by Buddhist monks from countries such as Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar during ancient times. It’s possible that a temple was built around the Kelani Stupa during the time as it is said that a prince by the name of Uttiya renovated the “Kelani Temple” after “Mihindu (or Mahinda) Thero” visited Sri Lanka to reawaken .

DID YOU KNOW?

According to the Chulavansa (which is the chronicle written after Mahavansa) the original temple at Kelaniya was five storeys high.

Unfortunately, much of the ancient monastery was destroyed by invaders from South India and though the temple was rebuilt, it was again ravaged by Portuguese invaders. King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe had subsequently renovated the temple during the reigning period of the Dutch.

The construction of the modern temple was completed in 1946, under the patronage of philanthropist Helena Wijeywardena. It consists of a lower terrace leading up to the upper “main” terrace via four flights of steps in four different directions. The main entrance to the upper terrace is flanked by two archways, artfully decorated with mini sculptures and carvings. The upper terrace houses the four “pilima gewal” or image houses, the Bo tree, the Kelani stupa (or Kelani Chaithya) and other sacred edifices. The four image houses are named “Raja Pilima Ge”, “Oth Pilima Ge”, “Aluth Vihara Ge” and “Ran Pilima Ge”. Raja Pilima Ge (which means “Royal Image House”) harbours the oldest murals in the temple. These paintings date back to the late 18th Century or early 19th Century, and hail from the Kandyan era (paintings drawn during the Kingdom of ; 1469-1815). These murals depict “Jataka” stories—tales of Lord Buddha’s past lives.

A painting belonging to the Kandyan period

at Ran pilima Ge.

Oth Pilima Ge (image house of the reclining Buddha) is the oldest section of the entire temple and features a large gold plated reclining Buddha statue. At Ran Pilima Ge (Golden Image House), you are greeted with the site of a beautiful gold statue of Lord Buddha in meditation. Here too are paintings depicting important occasions in the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, such as the arrival of “Sangamitta Theraniya” with a sapling of the “Sri Maha Bodhiya” (the original bo tree under which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment) and the bringing of the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha by Prince Danta and Princess Hemamala from India.

The Aluth Pilima Ge is a soothing sandy bronze coloured building with striking stone carvings of gods and animals like lions and elephants. This section contains the modern murals, drawn by the artist, Solias Mendis during the period 1927-1946. His paintings are neo-classical in style, incorporating Indian Buddhist art techniques and traditional Sri Lankan techniques to create his own unique style.

Right next to the Aluth Pilima Ge is the Kelani stupa, standing ninety feet tall. If you pay attention to the shape of chaithya, you’ll notice that it resembles a heaped pile of grains. This unique shape is described as “dhanyakara” in Sinhalese, and this is supposed to be the shape of the original stupa built by King Maniakkika.

To truly experience the Sri Lankan Buddhist culture in all its magnificent splendor, January is the best time of the year to visit Kelaniya. The Kelaniya Temple is where the “Duruthu Perahera” starts every pre- full moon day in January. As the fool moon day of this month is believed to be the day on which Lord Buddha blessed our land during his first visit, it holds a special place in the hearts of Sri Lankan Buddhists, and the Perahera or procession, is a glamorous celebration of this day complete with a cavalcade of traditional drummers, vibrantly clothed elephants, dancers, and flag-bearers.