Kelaniya (Sinhala: කැලණිය Tamil: களனி) is a suburb of Colombo in the Western Province, Sri Lanka.

Kelaniya (Kalyanam) is mentioned in Ramayana and in the Buddhist chronicle, the Mahawansa which states that the Buddha visited the place in the 5th century BC, after which the dagoba of the temple was built.

The reason Lakshmana crowned Vibeeshana, was because Rama had to return to India as he had to continue his self-exile of fourteen years to honour the commitment to his father, King Dasarath of Ayodhya.

Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara has become famous because of the beautiful paintings and sculpture by Solias Mendis depicting various events in the history of Sri Lanka.

The Kelaniya Railway Station is located close to the Colombo-Kandy Road and provides rail connections to the rest of the country.