History of the Kelaniya Royal Temple

The temple of endless beauty is of long history. The fascinating history of Kelaniya goes back to pre-Christian times. The city was connected with the epic of Ramayana in that Kelaniya's Prince Vibhisana was befriended by Lord Rama of India in his battle against King Ravana of Lanka. A younger brother of Ravana, Vibhisana, like his brother, propitiated Brahma, and obtained a boon in return of a vow. The vow was that he would never commit an unworthy action even in the greatest extremity. Then when the payback time crashlanded, the testing encounter took flight, he had to make his stand against his own land & his own brother.

The chronicles, Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa, record in detail the story of the Buddha's visit to Kelaniya on the eighth year after his Enlightenment, on a Wesak day, on the invitation of the Naga King Maniakkhika. Following the expounding of the Dhamma (Buddhism) by Buddha, Kelaniya Royal Temple was build by the king. The jewelled throne, on which the Buddha sat while preaching, Buddha's hair, the utensils used in the past are said to have been enshrined in the stupa at the Kelaniya temple. Kelaniya Vihara however, received its hallowed status and became a place of Buddhist worship after Arhath (supremely enlightened) Mahinda brought the Dhamma to the island.

Kelaniya has remained important in all historical periods, especially in the fifteenth century under the reign of Parakramabahu the 4th (1351A.D.) and his successors. In the years 1424 and 1475, Kelaniya was visited by Buddhist monks of Cambodia, Thailand and Burma. After that it remained an important religious centre through the centuries and underwent successive developments. The temple was destroyed by marauding Dravidian invaders from South India. But then, restored by the Sinhalese kings.