Kelaniya City

Kelaniya is located approximately 7km east of Colombo along the ColomboKandy road. Kelaniya is one of the main cities of the Gampaha district which is located towards the south of the Colombo district.

Reaching Kelaniya

The ColomboKandy A1 main motorway provides easy access to Kelaniya. Travelling past Peliyagoda, Kelaniya can be reached within a distance of 3km. The main town closer to Kelaniya next to Colombo is Kiribathgoda. Travelling from the Biyagama Free Trade Zone, Kelaniya can be approached along the Peliyagoda – Biyagama Road. Kelaniya can also be reached by Railway which runs from Colombo along Kelani Weli route.

The town can be reached by Air Taxi operated by Sri Lankan Airlines, the national carrier of the island. All flights are restricted to day light hours with fair weather conditions. The 15 passenger sea-planes can be chartered for private flights too.

The History of Kelaniya

Most of the important cities of Sri Lanka are associated with an unbroken recorded history that runs as far back to 543 BC. Kelaniya runs further back to the pre-historic times of Sri Lanka. It is believed that Buddha visited Kelaniya during the time of an impending war between two kings of the Naga tribe named Chulodara and Mahodara over a gem-studded throne. Following the appearance of Buddha, the war was averted. A Stupa was built in Kelaniya enshrining the disputed gem studded throne.

Kelaniya’s place in ancient history is of great significance; it was the city that gave birth to the heroine of the nation, Queen Vihara Maha Devi, the mother of the Hero of the Nation, King Dutugamunu. In the medieval literary works of Sri Lanka called the Sandesa Kavaya (Sinhala: Message in Verse), the city of Kelaniya over the Kelaniya River had been described as one with great natural beauty.

Kelaniya Duruthu Maha Perahera procession

Kelaniya draws hundreds and thousands of Sinhalese Buddhists from all over Sri Lanka to enjoy the spectacle of the pageant procession called the “Kelaniya Duruthu Maha Perahera” which is held annually during the months of November/December. The procession commences at about 8 in the evening at the Kelaniya Temple. The grand procession is an organized riot of dozens of Elephants, whip crackers, flag bearers, drummers, dancers, trumpeters, dancers and fire pole acrobats.

University of Kelaniya

The University of Kelaniya is located bordering the ColomboKandy Main Road in Kelaniya and has its origin from the historic Buddhist Academy of studies called the Vidyalankara Pirivena. Founded in 1875, Vidyalankara Pirivena served as a centre of learning for Buddhist monks. It was one of the two great national centers of academic studies in Buddhism.

Kelani River

Kelani River, one of the main rivers in Sri Lanka that originates from the Sri Pada mountain range flows through the valley of Kelaniya into the ocean in Colombo.

The volume of water carried to the ocean varies very significantly with the season: during the monsoon, the river flow is 800 – 1500 m³/s and during the dry season it is some 20 – 25 m³/s. Kelani River is a source for hydropower generation, fisheries and irrigation.

Sri Dharmaloka College

Sri Dharmaloka College, located close to the Kelaniya Temple, was originally opened in the 1940s on the premises of the Buddhist Academy of Vidyalankara Pirivena. It was later shifted to its current location during the 1950s.

【LK94009381: Kelaniya. Text by Lakpura™. Images by Google, copyright(s) reserved by original authors.】

About Colombo District

Colombo is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, the capital city of Sri Lanka. Colombo is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern life and colonial buildings and ruins and a city population of 647,100.The Colombo Metropolitan Region, defined by the districts of Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara, has an estimated population of 5,648,000, and covers an area of 3,694.20 km²

Colombo is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural city. It is the most populous city in Sri Lanka, with 642,163 people living within the city limits. The population of Colombo is a mix of numerous ethnic groups, mainly Sinhalese, Moors and Tamils. There are also small communities of people with Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Malay and Indian origins living in the city, as well as numerous European expatriates.

The great majority of Sri Lankan corporations have their head offices in Colombo. Some of the industries include chemicals, textiles, glass, cement, leather goods, furniture, and jewellery. In the city center is located South Asia's second tallest building - The World Trade Centre.

About Western Province

The Western Province is the most densely populated province of Sri Lanka. It is home to the legislative capital Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte as well to Colombo, the nation's administrative and business center. Western Province is divided into 3 main districts called Colombo (642 km²), Gampaha (1,386.6 km²) and Kalutara (1,606 km²) districts. As Sri Lanka's economic hub, all the major local and international corporations have their presence in the city and so do all the major designer and high street retailers, so be ready to indulge in some retail therapy in western province.

Having the highest population in the all the provinces, the almost all the premier educational institutions in the island are located in western province. Universities in the province include the University of Colombo, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Kelaniya, Open University, Sri Lanka, Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University and University of Moratuwa .Western province has the largest amount of schools in the country, which includes National, Provincial, Private and International schools.