Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara is a Buddhist temple in Kelaniya. Is 5 km from Colombo. Buddhists believe that the Buddha visited the temple in his third and final visit to Sri Lanka, eight years after gaining enlightenment. His story, therefore, dates back to the 5th century BC In the records of Mahavansa mentions that in Kelaniya was the jeweled throne on which the Buddha sat and preached.

The temple flourished during the Kotte, but most of his land was confiscated during the Portuguese Empire. When the Portuguese destroyed the temple in 1510, all the paintings and sculptures of antiquity, perished with him.

It is therefore unfortunate that there is no evidence of ancient paintings and sculptures belonging to the period of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, available in the temple now. Preserved paintings and sculptures belong to the early 18th century and the early 20th century.

In the Dutch Empire, however, the Church were given new lands and under the patronage of king Kirti Sri Rajasingha the temple was restored.

The temple is also famous for its image of the reclining Buddha and paintings which depict important events from the life of Buddha, history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, as well as stories from Jataka tales. It is an 18-foot stone statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. Every year in January in the temple the procession passes Duruthu Maha Perehera. The procession takes place on the day preceding the full moon, thousands of people from all over the country, and hundreds of tourists come to the temple to witness this spectacular show.

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