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Maligawa postpones higher ordinations due to virus danger
Higher ordination rites of novice Buddhist monks, or Upasampada rituals, usually held between the full moon days of May and June will not be held at the Malwatte and Asgiri Maha Viharaya this year due to the coronavirus danger, the custodians of the Sri Dalada Maligawa have decided.
The rites have been postponed to next year.
This is not the first time that these rituals are being postponed since it was established in 1753 by Upali Maha Thera at Malwatte Maha Viharaya. There have been two previous occasions — during the 1818 Rebellion and on 2 March, 1815, the day, the then-Ceylon became a British colony.
Novice monks, who are called ‘Vahalanaga’, are accompanied in a procession to be ordained.
In the early days, the Sri Dalada Maligawa allocated one flag and one tusker for the ‘Vahalanaga’ to be accompanied to the two Maha Viharayas. But, former Diyawadana Nilame Neranjan Wijeyaratne introduced drummers and tuskers for the occasion as well.