Kelaniya (Kalyanam) is mentioned in Ramayana and in the Buddhist chronicle, the Mahawansa which states that the Buddha visited the place in the 5th century BC, after which the dagoba of the temple was built.[1] Sri Lankan Buddhists believe that the Buddha visited Kelaniya in order to quell a quarrel between the Nāga leaders of two warring factions: Chulodara (literally "the small-bellied one") and Mahodara (literally "the big-bellied one"). They were quarrelling over a jewel-encrusted throne. After the Buddha showed them the futility of their quarrel they converted to Buddhism and together offered the throne to the Buddha. It is believed that the dagoba (stupa or Buddhist temple) was built with the throne as a relic inside.
The suburb is also of historical importance as the capital of a provincial king Kelani Tissa (1st century BC) whose daughter, Viharamahadevi was the mother of King Dutugemunu the Great, regarded as the most illustrious of the approximately 186 kings of Sri Lanka between the 5th century BC and 1815.
According to Ramayana, after King Ravana’s death, Vibeeshana was crowned as the King of Lanka by Lakshmana at Kelaniya. There are murals enshrined outside the Buddhist temple depicting the crowning of Vibeeshana. The Kelani River is mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayana and Vibeeshana palace was said to be on the banks of this river. The reason Lakshmana crowned Vibeeshana, was because Rama had to return to India as he had to continue his self-exile of fourteen years to honour the commitment to his father, King Dasarath of Ayodhya.
Sculpture of Kelaniya Temple.
Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara has become famous because of the beautiful paintings and sculpture by Solias Mendis depicting various events in the history of Sri Lanka. Thousands of Buddhists come each January to see Kelaniya's Buddhist pageant, popularly referred to as Duruthu Maha Perahera.
Transport
The A1 highway connecting Colombo to Kandy runs along this suburb. The Kelaniya Railway Station is located close to the Colombo-Kandy Road and provides rail connections to the rest of the country.
Education
The University of Kelaniya is situated at Kelaniya near the Colombo-Kandy Road. Gurukula College is one of the best schools in Kelaniya.
References
^Wilhelm Geiger (Tr), The Mahavansa, or The Great Chronicle of Ceylon, Oxford, OUP, 1920. . Archived from the original on 2008-10-30. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
External links
Entry at Lanka Info
January 09, 2023
kelaniya, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, december, 2018, l. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Kelaniya news newspapers books scholar JSTOR December 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message Kelaniya Sinhala ක ලණ ය Tamil களன is a suburb of Colombo in the Western Province Sri Lanka It is known for the Buddhist temple built on the banks of the Kelani River which divides the suburb from Colombo District The temple is also a religious centre for veneration of the figures Vibhishana and Avalokiteshvara Kelaniya ක ලණ යகளன SuburbKelaniya TempleKelaniyaCoordinates 06 57 24 N 79 55 14 E 6 95667 N 79 92056 E 6 95667 79 92056 Coordinates 06 57 24 N 79 55 14 E 6 95667 N 79 92056 E 6 95667 79 92056CountrySri LankaProvinceWestern ProvinceDistrictGampahaTime zoneUTC 5 30 Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone Postal Code11600Area code011 Contents 1 Historical and cultural significance 2 Transport 3 Education 4 References 5 External linksHistorical and cultural significance EditKelaniya Kalyanam is mentioned in Ramayana and in the Buddhist chronicle the Mahawansa which states that the Buddha visited the place in the 5th century BC after which the dagoba of the temple was built 1 Sri Lankan Buddhists believe that the Buddha visited Kelaniya in order to quell a quarrel between the Naga leaders of two warring factions Chulodara literally the small bellied one and Mahodara literally the big bellied one They were quarrelling over a jewel encrusted throne After the Buddha showed them the futility of their quarrel they converted to Buddhism and together offered the throne to the Buddha It is believed that the dagoba stupa or Buddhist temple was built with the throne as a relic inside The suburb is also of historical importance as the capital of a provincial king Kelani Tissa 1st century BC whose daughter Viharamahadevi was the mother of King Dutugemunu the Great regarded as the most illustrious of the approximately 186 kings of Sri Lanka between the 5th century BC and 1815 According to Ramayana after King Ravana s death Vibeeshana was crowned as the King of Lanka by Lakshmana at Kelaniya There are murals enshrined outside the Buddhist temple depicting the crowning of Vibeeshana The Kelani River is mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayana and Vibeeshana palace was said to be on the banks of this river The reason Lakshmana crowned Vibeeshana was because Rama had to return to India as he had to continue his self exile of fourteen years to honour the commitment to his father King Dasarath of Ayodhya Sculpture of Kelaniya Temple Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara has become famous because of the beautiful paintings and sculpture by Solias Mendis depicting various events in the history of Sri Lanka Thousands of Buddhists come each January to see Kelaniya s Buddhist pageant popularly referred to as Duruthu Maha Perahera Transport EditThe A1 highway connecting Colombo to Kandy runs along this suburb The Kelaniya Railway Station is located close to the Colombo Kandy Road and provides rail connections to the rest of the country Education EditThe University of Kelaniya is situated at Kelaniya near the Colombo Kandy Road Gurukula College is one of the best schools in Kelaniya References Edit Wilhelm Geiger Tr The Mahavansa or The Great Chronicle of Ceylon Oxford OUP 1920 Chapter Archived from the original on 2008 10 30 Retrieved 2009 01 28 External links EditEntry at Lanka Info Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kelaniya amp oldid 1124927423, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
