Raw data
"The Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara or Kelaniya Temple is a Buddhist temple in Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, seven miles from Colombo.
Buddhists believe the temple to have been hallowed during the third and final visit of the Buddha to Sri Lanka, eight years after gaining enlightenment. Its history would thus go back to before 500 BCE.
The Mahawansa records that the original Stupa at Kelaniya enshrined a gem-studded throne on which the Buddha sat and preached.
The temple flourished during the Kotte era but much of its land was confiscated during the Portuguese empire. Under the Dutch empire, however, there were new gifts of land and under the patronage of King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha the temple was rebuilt. It was refurbished in the first half of the twentieth century with the help of Helena Wijewardana."
http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=Kelaniya_Raja_Maha_Vihara
The Temple's home page is at http://www.kelaniyatemple.com
Input by: GitaG, Nov 14, 2012
Final data (and their sources)
Last updated: 14 Nov 2012
Lat/Long coordinates' accuracy:
The monastery in question is assumed to be situated actually no farther than 200 m from the point defined by the coordinates below.
General location of the Kelaniya monastery, SL.
Lat 6.9521 Long 79.9187
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://www.fallingrain.com), 2012.
Google Map link:
Final data - explanatory notes
1. Monastery's name
- Kelaniya monastery
2. Monastery's modern country & province
- Sri Lanka:Western Province
3. Monastery's alternative/historical names
- The Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara - http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=Kelaniya_Raja_Maha_Vihara
- Kelaniya Temple - http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=Kelaniya_Raja_Maha_Vihara
- Keleniya Rajamaha Viharaya - http://maps.google.com/
4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates
- Approx. Lat 6.9521 Long 79.9187 - based on visual identification of the stupa in the site in maps/satellite imagery, maps.google.com - tmciolek, 14 Nov 2012.
5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries
- [missing data]
6. Modern name of the known nearest city, town, or village
7. The settlement's alternative/historical names
8. The settlement's coordinates
- Approx. Lat 6.9319 Long 79.8478 - http://www.fallingrain.com/world/CE/36/Colombo.html
9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition
- Theravada
10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition
- [missing data]
11. Date-early
- The history of the monastery goes to before 500 BCE - http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=Kelaniya_Raja_Maha_Vihara
- MBM chrono-tag: <=0200 - tmciolek 14 Nov 2012
- <=0200 0200-32c 0233-66c 0267-99c 0300-32c 0333-66c 0367-99c 0400-32c 0433-66c 0467-99c 0500-32c 0533-66c 0567-99c 0600-32c 0633-66c 0667-99c 0700-32c 0733-66c 0767-99c 0800-32c 0833-66c 0867-99c 0900-32c 0933-66c 0967-99c 1000-32c 1033-66c 1067-99c 1100-32c 1133-66c 1167-99c 1200=> dated-el
12. Date-intermediate
- [missing data]
13. Date-late
- Refurbished in the first half of the twentieth century - http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=Kelaniya_Raja_Maha_Vihara
- In use as a monastic complex in the early 2000s - http://maps.google.com/
- MBM chrono-tag: 1200=> - tmciolek 14 Nov 2012
14. Details of contacts with other monasteries
- [missing data]
15. Type of evidence regarding the monastery
- [missing data]
16. Additional notes
- [missing data] (incl. details of the size of the monastic population)
17. Corrections & addenda to this page were kindly provided by
- [missing data]
18. Available Printed Literature
- [bibliographical details of the Book/Article 1]
- [bibliographical details of the Book/Article 2]
- [bibliographical details of the Book/Article 3]
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