The ‘Sakwala Maha Pahan Kuduwa’, displayed at the Nawaloka Junction in Minuwangoda for the 2026 Poson Festival, has set an official world record as the world’s largest lantern.
Accordingly, after an extensive process that included measurements, technical evaluation, documentation and independent verification, the Serendib World Records Organization has officially recognized it as the ‘World’s Largest Lantern’.
The relevant certificate and trophy were presented to the creator of the lantern, Suranga Udaya Kumara, a resident of Galkanda, Minuwangoda, by the Serendib World Records Organization on the 16th at the premises where the lantern was installed.
According to official measurements, the height of the lantern is 68.4 feet and the width is 45.5 feet.
The ‘Sakwala Maha Pahan Kuduwa’, designed under the theme ‘A Story of a Story in a Box’, is a unique creation that reflects artistic excellence, wisdom and faith.
This huge lantern, which symbolically represents the Great Bhadra Kalpa and the Sakwala or Great Chakravaya mentioned in Buddhism, has also applied to be included in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest lantern.
The entire lantern weighs nearly 10,000 kilograms, and it is designed on an iron frame weighing nearly 10 tons. It is noteworthy that even the box bar machine required for bending the iron parts was designed by the local youth themselves.
The lighting system creates more than 50 different light patterns, and more than 35 rolls of LED light strips have been used for it. Going beyond the three colors used in ordinary lanterns, five colors have been used here: red, yellow, green, blue and white.
More than 10 million rupees have been spent on the construction of the lantern and its related facilities, and more than 800 scaffolding has been used for the construction work.
It is noteworthy that this lantern, whose construction began last year, was completely flattened due to Cyclone Ditva, and was rebuilt with the support and contributions of the local residents.
