Kelaniya
Kelaniya is a small town near Colombo, Sri Lanka in the Gampaha District. It is known for the Buddhist temple built on the banks of the Kelani River, which runs through the town. It is also a religious center for veneration of the figure Vibhishana.
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[edit] Historical and Cultural Significance
Kelaniya (Kalyani) is mentioned in the Buddhist chronicle, the Mahawamsa which states that the Gautama Buddha (5th century BC) visited the place, after which the dagoba of the temple was built.[1]
The town is also of historical importance as the capital of a provincial king Kelani Tissa (1st century BC) whose daughter, Vihara Maha Devi was the mother of king Dutugemunu the great, regarded as the most illustrious of the 186 or so kings of Sri Lanka between the 5th century BC and 1815.
Sri Lankan Buddhists believe that the Buddha visited Kelaniya in order to quell a quarrel between two 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 (pagoda or Buddhist temple) seen today was built with the throne as a relic inside.
In about the 15th century, Kelaniya was described in the Sandesa Kavyas (missive poems) as a beautiful city. In the sælalihini sandesaya of Totagamuwe Sri Rahula, a Myna is ordered to carry the missive to the god Vibhishana at his temple in Kelaniya. According to the Ravana Katha of Wickramasinghe Adigar, after the defeat of Ravana, Vibhishana transferred the Yaksha capital from Alakamandawa to Kelaniya.[2] Vibhishana continues to be worshipped by a diminishing number of adherents, mainly in the Kelaniya area.[3]
It was destroyed by the Portuguese and then rebuilt under King Rajasinha in the 1800's [4]
Of late the 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 to see the Buddhist pageant of Kelaniya, popularly referred to as Duruthu Maha Perahera of Kelaniya in the month of November/December and January every year.
[edit] Transport
The A1 highway connecting Colombo with Kandy runs along the town. The Kelaniya Railway Station is located close to the Colombo Kandy Road and provides rail connections with the rest of the country.
[edit] Education
The University of Kelaniya is situated at Kelaniya near the Colombo-Kandy Road. Also there is one of the popular School in island which was named as Sri Dharmaloka College.
[edit] References
- ^ Wilhelm Geiger (Tr), The Mahavamsa, or The Great Chronicle of Ceylon, Oxford, OUP, 1920. http://lakdiva.org/culavamsa/vol_0.html
- ^ Dr. Mirando Obeysekere, Was Maya Dannawa the architect of Sigiriya?, Daily News, 6 March 2003. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lkawgw/mdannawa.html
- ^ Nandasena Ratnapala, Folklore of Sri Lanka, State Printing Corporation, Colombo, 1991; ISBN 955-610-089-X
- ^ Frey, Elke; Gerhard Lemmer, Jayanthi Namasivayam (2001). Sri Lanka. Walpole, MA: Hunter Publishing, Inc.. p. 57.
