Introduction
This temple, hallowed during the third and final visit of Lord Buddha to Sri Lanka,
eight years after gaining enlightenment, is situated 7 miles from Colombo. Its history
goes back nearly 2,563 years. The Mahawansa records that the original Dagoba at
Kelaniya enshrined a gem studded throne on which the Buddha sat and preached. The
temple is also famous for its image of the reclining Buddha and paintings which
depict important events in the life of the Buddha, in the history of Buddhism in
Sri Lanka, also incidents from the Jataka tales lt is the venue of the annual Duruthu
Perahera held in the month of January.
History
City
The city of Kelaniya was the capital city of King Kelanitissa, a scion of the dynasty
of King Devanam Piya Tissa (third century B.C.) of Anuradhapura. The royal family
of Magama in the south was connected to the royalty of Kalyani by the marriage of
King Kavantissa of Magama to Vihara Maha Devi, the daughter of Kelanitissa. It was
this matrimony that resulted in the birth of King Dutugamunu (second century B.C.)
of Ruhuna, the hero of the nation, during whose period Sri Lanka enjoyed a golden
era, both politically and culturally.
Annual pageant
The glorious pageant called Navam Perahara in January, second in splendour only
to the famous Kandy Esala Perahera pageant in August, is held annually in celebration
of the event of Buddha's visit.
Kelaniya Royal Temple
Kelaniya Royal Temple, Sri Lanka, 10km east of Colombo in Colombo-Kandy Road is
one of the most sacred, most beautiful, largest temples of Sri Lanka. The temple
stands majestically on a higher plain of the west bank overlooking River Kelani
(Kalyana) that flows right in front.
History of the Kelaniya Royal Temple
The temple of endless beauty is of long history. The fascinating history of Kelaniya
goes back to pre-Christian times. The city was connected with the epic of Ramayana
in that Kelaniya's Prince Vibhisana was befriended by Lord Rama of India in his
battle against King Ravana of Lanka. A younger brother of Ravana, Vibhisana, like
his brother, propitiated Brahma, and obtained a boon in return of a vow. The vow
was that he would never commit an unworthy action even in the greatest extremity.
Then when the payback time crashlanded, the testing encounter took flight, he had
to make his stand against his own land & his own brother.
The chronicles, Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa, record in detail the story of the Buddha's
visit to Kelaniya on the eighth year after his Enlightenment, on a Wesak day, on
the invitation of the Naga King Maniakkhika. Following the expounding of the Dhamma
(Buddhism) by Buddha, Kelaniya Royal Temple was build by the king. The jewelled
throne, on which the Buddha sat while preaching, Buddha's hair, the utensils used
in the past are said to have been enshrined in the stupa at the Kelaniya temple.
Kelaniya Vihara however, received its hallowed status and became a place of Buddhist
worship after Arhath (supremely enlightened) Mahinda brought the Dhamma to the island.
Kelaniya has remained important in all historical periods, especially in the fifteenth
century under the reign of Parakramabahu the 4th (1351A.D.) and his successors.
In the years 1424 and 1475, Kelaniya was visited by Buddhist monks of Cambodia,
Thailand and Burma. After that it remained an important religious centre through
the centuries and underwent successive developments. The temple was destroyed by
marauding Dravidian invaders from South India. But then, restored by the Sinhalese
kings.
Laid waste by the Portuguese
Laid waste again by the Portuguese in the 15th Century, the reconstruction of the
Vihara was carried out in the patronage of King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha (1746-1778)
under the supervision of then Chief incumbent Venerable Mapitigama Buddharakkhita
during time the Dutch held sway in the western coastal belt of the island. The paintings
of the old shrines are dated to the middle of the nineteenth century by the inscription
in a medallion decorating the space within the makara-torana (dragon arch) on the
facade of the sanctum. It gives the date as 1851 AD. The style of the paintings
corroborates this date.
Development during the first half of the twentieth century
The shrine has undergone further development during the first half of the twentieth
century in the patronage of Mrs. Helena Wijewardana & under the supervision of then
Chief incumbent (Viharadhipathi) venerable Mapitigama Dharmarakkhita thera. A new
shrine of great beauty was built. The new shrine, together with an additional wing
to the old shrine, has been painted entirely with a completely new style of the
old idiom that remains unrivalled. Mrs. Wijewardana was able to get the services
of one of the greatest painters of the era to do the renovation. Illustrious Solius
Mendis, the highly respected master painter of neo-classical tradition of Sri Lanka,
brought the ancient paintings to its original glory by using paints that he himself
had made from organic materials. The renovation work took 20 years to complete.
The Stupa of the Temple Complex
The stupa of Kelaniya is architecturally important in that its dome retains to this
day and apparently its original form was known as dhanyagara (heap of paddy) shape.
The shrine of the Temple Complex
Today the large temple complex consists of Stupa, old shrine, a new wing to old
shrine, new shrine & monk's residence is of highest order. The art therein, old
series of painting at the old shrine, classical paintings of the new shrine, an
array of recumbent carved statues of Buddha, a series of status of deities, makara
torana (Dragon Arches), Sinha Makara torana (Lion dragon arches) is testimony to
the Buddhist culture in the Low country of Sri Lanka. The portrayal of Lord Hanuman
among these deities is an unusual feature, apparently based on the association of
Kelaniya with the epic Ramayana through Vibhisana, the tutelary deity of the city.
The older paintings of Kelaniya belong to the low-country idiom of the Sittara art
tradition of the nineteenth century. The selection of the themes also conforms to
the general pattern found at the shrines of the same period. The arrangement of
the paintings in the sanctum, with its emphasis on the presence of important divinities
attending on the Buddha, however, is known only at a very few other shrines, of
the island. The exaltation of the Naga king Maniakkhika, the special emphasis given
to the Buddha's visit to Kalyani, represent the unique features of Kelaniya, inspired
by the history of the city.
The new paintings of the Kelaniya Rajamahavihara are without comparison, as these
have been the creation of one single artist, Illustrious Solius Mendis of the twentieth
century. However, the inspiration gained by the artist through his studies of ancient
Indian and Sinhalese painting is quite apparent. The flying divinities in the Sumanakuta
scene remind one of the flying celestials of famous Ajanta frescoes at Ajanta caves
(WHS) in Aurangabad district, state of Maharashtra in India. The graceful bust of
Hemamala with elegantly arranged coiffure draws its inspiration from the fastidious
celestial nymphs at the Lion Rock citadel (Sigiriya) The thin diaphanous texture
of the apparel and the smooth tonal built-up of colours, are obviously inspired
by the Bengali school of painting mastered by Rabanindranath Tagore. The scenes
of the Buddha's descent from heaven as well as the assembly of gods at the Tivanka
pilimage at Polonnaruwa seem to have influenced the portrayal of the Buddha and
the divinities. Above all, the divine and royal personages worshipping the Buddha,
clasping their outstretched hands in various postures, are suggestive of the artist's
study of the second-century Andhra sculptures portraying vivacious ladies venerating
the Buddha in various scenes.
The ceiling of the vestibule of the old shrine has been devoted to the themes dealing
with cosmology. It contains seven panels, bordered by scroll and garland motifs.
Four of these depict the Tree of Life, each differing from the other in the delineation
of the tree and the environs, and yet each symbolizing the axis of the Universe
where life of all kinds originated. The other three panels contain three schematic
cosmological diagrams, consisting of the twelve signs of the Zodiac that mark the
twelve phases of the annual cyclic movement of the sun,
the nine divine guardians of the world directions, conceived of as identical with
the nine planets that rule man's life from day to day, and the ten incarnations
of Vishnu which are associated with the cyclic evolution of the world, namely, its
creation, destruction and re-creation.
The ceiling space was obviously conceived of as the vault of Heaven in which the
sun, the moon, the constellations and the planets rotate. Nevertheless, there could
have been another consideration behind the installation of such diagrams in religious
edifices. According to ancient practice, such an act would have transformed the
structures into the axis of the Universe, the place of origin, and the consecrated
abode for the Supreme Lord of the Faith. And, vice versa, by the very act of incorporating
cosmological diagrams in the Buddha shrines, the entire cosmos and all the divine
powers that rule the world and the destiny of mankind would come under the auspicious
influences and the benevolent protection of the Buddha. -.
|