10 km from Colombo, a famous Buddhist temple, Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara is built in the 5th century. It is believed to have been visited by the Buddha on his third visit to the country along with 500 monks after the enlightenment of 8 years, back in 500 BCE. The temple holds UNESCO world heritage designation of an Archaeological Protected Monument in Sri Lanka ever since 2007 thus holds great historical importance not only to Buddhists but also for all Sri Lankans. A large number of people also pilgrimage on full moon day of the month and conduct several religious programs here.
