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Kataragama’s illegal fruit sellers harass devotees
View(s):The historic and sacred grounds of the Ruhunu Kataragama Temple, where one hoped to find peace and spirituality, is now threatened by commerce and chaos.
One of the biggest issues is the presence of hundreds of salespeople in illegally set up stalls advertising “fruit baskets,” which devotees buy as an offering when entering the temple.
An illegal fruit-basket seller being taken into custody by police officers Pic by Krishan Jeevaka Jayaruk
The fruit baskets range from a Rs1,000 to as much as Rs 5,000, and the salespersons hawk them aggressively at customers as soon as they enter the temple grounds.
Devotees who refuse these sales-pitches from fruit basket sellers, along with those selling anything from betel leaves to popcorn or flowers, are often subjected to a barrage of abuse. The same happens to those who refuse to give money to the numerous beggars scattered throughout the area.
Though the authorities conduct raids and apprehend some of the illegal fruit basket sellers, many eventually return to business, mostly due to the intervention of area politicians.
Aside from these issues, the temple’s roads resemble city roads congested with people and teeming with vehicles travelling without passes, and buses, which have mysteriously gained entry despite an express policy of not issuing vehicle permits for buses. In 1968, the salesmen and women who were here were moved to a separate area to carry on with their businesses. However, problems have arisen since then, largely due to outsiders coming in and encroaching on the area given to the original sales-people.
The Chief Custodian of the Temple lamented that the Kataragama sacred grounds have been turned into a “market place” today. “Our appeals to the authorities to eradicate the illegal trade operations have gone unheeded. There is a racket here, where fruits that have already been offered by devotees are being resold to others. Such a situation will anger even the gods themselves,” he remarked.
Kataragama Basnayake Nilame Dilruwan Rajapakse said that it was the responsibility of the Police and the National Physical Planning Department to deal with illegal activities within the temple grounds.
Kataragama’s Chief Inspector Upul Liyanagama insisted that they enforce the law irrespective of what some may say. “We arrest the traders and keep them for hours. We have increased our numbers and enlisted a separate team to arrest the area’s illegal traders,” he added.