Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara is a Buddhist temple in Kelaniya. Located 5 km from Colombo. Buddhists believe that the Buddha visited the temple in his third and last visit to Sri Lanka, eight years after gaining enlightenment. His story, so dates from the 5th century BC The records Mahavansy mentioned that in Kelaniya was studded with precious stones throne on which Buddha sat and preached.

The temple flourished during the time of Kotte, but most of its land was confiscated during the Portuguese empire. When the Portuguese destroyed the temple in 1510, all the sculptures and paintings of antiquity, died with him.

It is therefore very unfortunate that there is no evidence of ancient paintings and sculptures dating from the period of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, existing in the church today. Preserved paintings and sculptures belonging to the beginning of the 18th century and early 20th century.

In the Dutch empire, however, the church had been granted new land and under the patronage of King Kirti Sri Rahasinzha temple was rebuilt.

The temple is also known for his image of the reclining Buddha and paintings, which depict important events from the life of Buddha in the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, as well as stories from the Jataka tales. It is a 18-foot statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara stone. Each year in January, the church is in the process Duruthu Maha Perehera. The procession takes place on the day before the full moon, thousands of people from all over the country, and hundreds of tourists come to the temple to witness this exciting spectacle.

The procession displays centuries-old traditions and cultural heritage of the country - an old traditional folklore, folk music, rhythmic dancing and playing the drums, which have developed over the centuries thanks to Buddhism and Buddhist practice on the island. For the first time the procession took place in 1927. The process consists of three separate marches at the relics of the Buddha and Vishnu, Kataragama and Vibhishana.