The annual Kelaniya Duruthu Maha Perahera is held every pre-full moon day of January or ‘Duruthu Poya’ in commemoration of Lord Buddha’s visit to Sri Lanka. This year the perahera which began on January 5 will end tonight.
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Ven. Professor
Kollupitiye Mahinda Sangharakhita Nayaka Thera |
The Kelaniya Perahera takes place in the vicinity of the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya built by King Yala-tissa in the 3rd century BC to commemorate the visit of Lord Buddha and 500 Arahants.
It is believed that the temple was destroyed along with other shrines and temples in 1213 when the South Indian king Kalinga-Maga invaded Sri Lanka. Later King Vijayabahu III rebuilt these temples including the Kelaniya temple. However, the temple was destroyed again in the 16th century, when the Portuguese conquered the country. It was once again rebuilt by King Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe in 1767.
The Kelaniya temple gained prominence again in 1888, when philanthropist Helena Wijewardena stepped forward to rebuild the temple that was by then in a bad state. With the help of the famous artist Solius Mendis, she restored the temple. Solius is believed to have spent 20 years painting the walls and ceiling with frescos depicting events from Buddhist history.
The Kelaniya Perahera dates back to 1927 when Don Walter Wijewardene, the son of Helena Wijewardene contributed to make the procession a success. Today with the sponsorship of the Government and other devotees and under the guidance of Ven. Professor Kollupitiye Mahinda Sangharakkita Nayaka Thera, the Viharadhipathi, the procession is held in all its traditional grandeur.
The preparations for the perahera include two months of religious activities and seven days of continuous pirith chanting.
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| Devotees attend a pinkama at the temple. Pix by Mangala Weerasekera |
The four-day pageant begins with the Dewadhootha Perahera on January 5, followed by the Udamaluwe Perahera, Pahalamaluwe Perahera and Maha Perahera held on the three consecutive days. The Maha Perahera is held on the final night with some 3000 participants and 50 elephants.
The perahera begins tonight at 8 p.m with the handing over of the relic casket to chief Basnayake Nilame, Dhammika Attygalle by Ven. Professor Kollupitiye Mahinda Sangharakhita Nayaka Thera.
The Dhathu Perahera performed by Kandyan dancers is followed by the Vishnu Devala Perahera headed by the Basnayake Nilame Jeyaraj Chandrasekara, the Katharagama Devala Perahera led by Basnayake Nilame Samantha Perera and the Vibishana Devala Perahera led by Lalith Hapangama. The procession ends with three palanquins (randoli) of the devalas, being carried back to their respective devalas.
See also, the Kelaniya temple website: http://www.kelaniyatemple.com |
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