When you travel seven miles from Colombo and reach the holy city of Kelaniya, you will find Kelani Raja Maha Vihara which is a well- known sacred site. On the eighth year after the Enlightenment, Lord Buddha has visited this sacred site, remarking the third and the last visit to Sri Lanka.

Beautifully located on the banks of the Kelani River, Kelani temple has an attractive and a quiet ambiance making the place friendly for worshiping.

Historically, Kelaniya is older than the sacred cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. The Dageba or the Stupa at Kelani Viharaya is in the shape of a rice grain heap which is called “Dhanyakara” in Pali. Sri Lankan sculptures on the Modern Image House and the Kandyan Era paintings uplift Kelaniya Temple in to a place with high architectural value. Other than Kandyan Era paintings, modern paintings from the great artist Soliyas Mendis can be found inside the Kelaniya Temple building.