Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara

Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara
Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara
කැලණිය රජ මහා විහාරය
Religion
Affiliation	Buddhism
District	Gampaha
Province	Western Province
Year consecrated	580 BC (Approx.2600 years back)
Location
Location	Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
Municipality	Kelaniya
	Shown within Sri Lanka
Geographic coordinates	06°57′11.3″N 79°55′06.7″E / 6.953139°N 79.918528°E
Architecture
Type	Buddhist Temple

The Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara or Kelaniya Temple is a Buddhist temple in Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. It is located 11 km (6.8 mi) north-east of Colombo. The current chief incumbent (chief priest) is Venerable Professor Kollupitiye Mahinda Sangharakkhitha Thera.

The temple has often been associated with the rise and fall of Sri Lanka, with the popular saying that as the Kelaniya temple rose, Sri Lanka rose and as it fell, the country and its administration fell. It has thus had a deep association with the political powers of the country. As such, the temple is frequently visited by politicians both government and opposition.

^ "Protected Monument List 2012-12-12" (PDF). Department of Archaeology. 12 December 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-11-23. Retrieved 27 March 2016.

[Archaeological-1] "Protected Monument List 2012-12-12" (PDF). Department of Archaeology. 12 December 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-11-23. Retrieved 27 March 2016.