The temple of Kelaniya is a book that needed to be written as no such narrative of so historic a shrine on the Western seaboard of the Island of Sri Lanka is available in English. In ten chapters of mellifluous and reverent prose, interlarded with appropriate quotations from relevant authorities, the author unravels the tangled skein of fable and history attached to this famous fane. It is indubitably the most popular place of Buddhist pilgrimage close to the capital city of Colombo, and continues to occupy a distinctive and prominent position in the political and religious life of the country. The saga is replete with annals of grandeur and ceremony, pomp and ritual, decay and despoliation, as well as the astonishing renewal of its fortunes in recent time. The text is embellished with fifteen plates, and a delectable choice of head and tailpiece ornaments enhance the appeal of the printed page. The design of the book from dust jacket to end pages serves to add both luster and beauty to the unfolding of the many faceted chronicle of this sacred city. No pains have been spared by the author and his collaborators to make this a worthy offering to religious history to a special sort, in keeping with the demands of scholarship as well.