Kelaniya
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Kelaniya
කැලණිය களனி | ||
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Postal Code 11600 | ||
Area code | 011 |
Kelaniya (
Historical and cultural significance
Kelaniya (Kalyanam) is mentioned in
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.
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
Education
The University of Kelaniya is situated at Kelaniya near the Colombo-Kandy Road. Sri Dharmaloka College is one of the best schools in Kelaniya, and the whole Gampaha District.
References
- ^ 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.