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| Friday, 17 January 2003 |
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Duruthu Poya and the Kelani Raja Maha Vihara by Derrick Schokman Duruthu Poya is important in Buddhist thought in that it marks the Buddha's first visit to this country at Mahiyangana and the construction of the Mahiyangana stupa which took place as a result of that visit.
The Mahiyangana festival however is held during Binara (August-September), so that from the pilgrim's point of view Kelaniya gets its importance as one of the 16 great places of worship hallowed by the third visit of the Buddha, which took place on Vesak Poya when he was invited to preach by the Naga king at Kelaniya, Maanika Nagarajah. The jewelled throne on which the Buddha sat and preached to them is said to be enshrined on the very site of the present stupa at the Kelani Raja Maha Vihara. History The Kelani Raja Maha Vihara has a history of over 1,000 years. It is believed to have been founded in the 3rd century BC. It was pillaged in the mid 13th century by Magha of Kalinga, and restored in the time of the Dambadeniya kings, Vijayabahu III and Parakramabahu II. The heyday of this ancient vihara was during the reign of King Parakramabahu VI of Kotte. But the place was once again pillaged and desecrated by the Portuguese. The Dutch who followed the Portuguese found the temple as a vague mound. They used the ruins as a stone quarry for their buildings and gateways in Colombo. There were two subsequent periods of restoration. First in the 18th century during the reign of King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe of Kandy, and secondly in the late 19th and 20th centuries by Helen Dep Weeraasinghe when she was chief dayavikava. The first steps taken by her at conservation by paving the earth floor of the temple and repairing the roof took place on January 10, 1927. On the same day her son Walter Wijewardena inaugurated the annual Duruthu perahera. This perahera though as a smaller scale than the Kandy pageant is well worth seeing. The high sanctity in which the Kelani Raja Maha Vihara is held by Buddhists is only second to the Dalada Maligawa in Kandy. This is evidenced in a folk poet's statement that "all sins committed as of one's birth will be no more if one worships but once at Kelaniya". Sample book In the opinion of Raven-Hart, author of that wonderful book, "Ceylon History in Stone", the Kelani Maha Vihara "is a sort of sample book of the buried cities, as if it is there for the convenience of visitors who are unable to visit them." One of the Makara arches at the entrance to the temple - a symbol of protection - was constructed in the time of King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe. The other duplicate arch which gives the entrance a more balanced effect was a later construction in 1958 by a benefactor and dayaka in memory of his mother.Directly behind the arches is the temple comprising two long oblong rooms. At the entrance is the familiar 'Sandakadapahana' or moonstone, an ornamental stone slab in the shape of a half lotus, flanked by two 'gajasimha' (elephant-lion) images, also meant for protection.The two-rooms exhibit two phases of restoration. In the earlier restoration by King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe, Kandyan style panoramic paintings adorn the walls, their themes drawn from the Jataka tales and the early life of the Buddha eg. the 'mara-yuddha satsiya' (first seven weeks) and 'solosmas thana' or 16 sacred shrines in the island. There are also paintings of the planetary gods of the 'Navagrahyo' and zodiac signs. And two images of Yatala Tissa and Kelani Tissa who are believed to have founded this famous temple. The newer restoration has the wonderful paintings of Solius Mendis which were completed in 1947. Among them are Prince Vijaya's meeting with Kuveni, the Buddha's legendary visits to Mahiyangana and Nagadipa, the arrival of the Tooth Relic, the landing of Sangamitta Theri with the Sri Maha Bodhi, the ravaging of the temple by the Portuguese Captain de Mello in 1575 and the pinkama on the founding of the new shrine with the Wijewardena family as the principal participants. Stone masons from India and gilders from Myanmar joined the local artisans in the restoration process. Their handiwork can be seen in the rows of sculptured swans, dwarfs and elephants on the outside of the temple, and above them the Hindu deities Grana, Ganga, Skanda, Vishnu, Vibishana and the new gilt sedent Buddha image in the sanctuary. The Kelani Raja Maha Vihara is indeed a treasure trove of traditional art. |
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