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When
Kelaniya throbs with the beat of drums The new year
begins with Duruthu Poya which marks the first visit of Buddha to
Sri Lanka. The Gautama
visited Sri Lanka nine months after He attained Enlightenment. The
visit was to Minipe in Bintenna on the banks of the Mahaweli Ganga
where people of the Yakkha clan resided. The story goes that as the Yakkhas looked up and saw the Buddha, a sudden darkness appeared and torrents of rain fell over the island. The Yakkhas were terror- stricken and falling on their faces, appealed to the Buddha to take away their panic and let the sun shine again. "I will release you from your fear if you allow me to sit down amongst you on my fur rug," the Buddha told them. They agreed in one voice. With the sun
shining again, the Buddha came down and sat in the midst of the
Yakkhas and extending his rug wider and wider, made flames burst
out from the four corners. The Yakkhas fled in fear until they reached
the sea shore. Another set
of inhabitants, the Nagas and the Devas from the heavens then assembled
and the Buddha preached to them. Among those
listening to the sermon was Saman Deviyo (God Saman), the guardian
god of Samantha-Kuta, popularly known as Sri Pada or Adam's Peak.
On a request made by God Saman to leave behind a relic for the Nagas
and the Devas to worship, the Buddha let His hand glide over His
head and gave a lock of hair. A small dagoba
was erected enshrining the lock of hair on the spot where the Buddha
sat. Thus the Mahiyangana
dagoba became the first ever stupa to be constructed in Sri Lanka. Duruthu is
also synonymous with religious activities in Kelaniya, which was
hallowed by the Buddha's final visit to Sri Lanka eight years after
His Enlightenment. The Mahavamsa
records that enshrined in the dagoba built in Kelaniya is a gem-studded
throne on which the Buddha sat and preached. Many kings
renovated the dagoba, originally built in the shape of a paddy heap,
from time to time. Records show
that King Yatala Tissa renovated it and built a city around it in
the 3rd century, making Kelaniya his capital. The present
renaissance of Kelaniya dates back to the time of King Kirti Sri
Rajasinghe (1747-1782 CE) under whose patronage Ven. Matara Dehigaspe
Aththadassi Thero pioneered reconstruction work. From the 19th
century onwards, a number of Buddhist leaders led by Dona Helena
Wijewardene ensured that the Kelaniya temple occupied a predominant
place in Sri Lanka. The Duruthu
Perahera in Kelaniya is an event eagerly looked forward to by devotees
during this time of the year. Begun in 1927,
the procession depicts the ancient traditions and cultural heritage
of the country including folklore, folk music and the rhythmic dance
forms and drum beats which have developed around Buddhism. - DCR
By Esther
Williams Thai Pongal
is celebrated on the first day of the new month (Thai) starting
in mid-January, according to the Solar calendar. It also signifies
the end of the cold, wet season when flowers start to bloom. Pongal
literally means to 'overflow'. There is much
excitement and preparation as families gather to rejoice and share
their joy and their harvests with others. The four-day festival
starts with Bhogi, which falls on the last day of the Markazhi month,
which precedes Thai. On this day old things in the home are discarded
and waste material burnt. Hindu homes and yards are cleaned days
ahead and white washed. Strings of mango leaves are hung over doorways.
Sweetmeats are made and stored in jars. Early on Pongal
morning, the second day, also called Suriyan (Sun) Pongal, family
members bathe and wear new clothes. Floors in and around the house
are decorated with plain and coloured rice flour in artistic patterns
called Kolam. Just outside the home, a new clay pot is placed on
firewood in a place that allows the rays of the sun to fall on it.
Around it are tied turmeric leaves, known for their purifying characteristics.
Newly harvested sugar cane stems with leaves are mounted at the
sides of the pot. Milk is boiled in the pot to the point of overflowing
and then rice and jaggery are added. The entire family watches this
and shouts, "Pongal-oh-pongal". The spill-over of milk
is a symbol of abundance. The freshly made Pongal is offered to
the Sun God, the giver of life and sustainer of warmth, before being
distributed to all present. Mattu (Cow)
Pongal is observed on the third day. To show gratitude for their
invaluable service, animals are bathed and their foreheads smeared
with turmeric and kum kum. Cows that give milk and plough the fields
are decorated - their horns are painted and strings of beads and
garlands placed around their necks. A pooja is performed in worship
of the cow that has served the farmer all through the year. The fourth
day is called Kanum Pongal, meaning meeting people. Relatives visit
each other and exchange greetings and gifts. It is on this day that
masters reward their workers for faithful service. The season
also hosts a sport knows as Sallikattu. Sachets containing money
are tied to the sharpened horns of untamed bulls, which are led
into an arena. It is a show of strength by the youth to subdue the
bulls and snatch the reward. The daring ones are able to tame the
bull and bring it to the ground. Thus concludes the festival with much cheer and gaiety. It is an occasion for family reunions and get-togethers. Old enmities and personal animosities are forgotten. It would be especially meaningful in Sri Lanka this year as a new era of prosperity and peace dawns. A
flag for humanity, a flag for peace There is only
one religion, the religion of love. It is with
this philosophy in mind that Purandara Sri Bhadra Marapana of the
Museum of Ethnology and Folk Art, Ratnapura designed the Flag of
Humanity and hoisted it on April 18, 1973. The cosmic father (Sun)
and mother (Moon) of the universe are depicted in red and yellow.
Children of mother earth that includes other life forms and elements
of nature are represented in black and white. The single drop of
blood in the centre of the earth stands for the human race. "It is
a flag for the entire human race and world peace," Sri Bhadra
Marapana says, explaining that different flags representing the
countries of the world only show the division of mankind. "Peace
only exists in the 'whole' and not in 'divisions'," he declares. The designer seeks to draw attention to this threatened planet that man has divided into warring factions. Total peace and survival will only come about if humanity acts as one, rather than worrying about war and victory. Global suicide would be the outcome and time is running out, he warns, if nations do not think of themselves as a whole. When a child
is born, he/she does not belong to any religion, nationality, race,
caste or colour. Within days however, the innocent and pure child
learns or is taught to discriminate, based on conditions laid down
by the society. For the people of all nations to think as a whole,
these divisions within society have to be removed, says Sri Bhadra
Marapana. The artist,
a naturalist by profession was inspired by teachings of Gautama
Buddha who taught that all people were of one race. Other distinguished
personalities also believed in the philosophy and wrote about them. "This
world is one country, and I am a citizen of this once country. We
are all one society and one family," wrote Agga Maha Panditha,
Ven Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Nayaka Thero. Scientist Dr.
Lee A. Drabi of National Science Institute, USA in one of his speeches
says, "The great wealth of this earth belongs to all people,
and they should make use of this earth. All people belong to one
human race. One cannot grade and divide human beings like animals
into lions, tigers, goats and buffaloes. This is against the natural
law. Until man understands this, even with his highest scientific
knowledge, he will not be able to make real use of this earth." "Flags
will only divide man. It is not for the good of people. It is only
for destruction," Dr. E. W. Adikaram says. The flag for
the human race has been depicted on a picture postcard and is being
sold at a nominal price. Proceeds from the sale of the postcards
will be chanelled to patients of the Cancer Hospital. |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
