| A move to use cement blocks to pave a part of Kandy’s Sri Dalada Maligawa, or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, has met with strong objections from the Archaeological Commissioner.
The protest refers to the ongoing paving of the Mahamaluwa, the forecourt in front of the Temple compound. Part of the lawn has already been paved, and cement slabs have been stacked to complete the job.
The Archaeological Commissioner has asked the Diyawadana Nilame, Pradeep Nilanga Dela, to halt the paving work, saying cement-based materials were not appropriate for the historic Sri Dalada Maligawa. He advises using square rock stones instead, saying that rock stones were used in the past for the Mahamaluwa.
At the time of publishing, the Diyawadana Nilame was not available for comment.
The Mahamaluwa has been formally presented to the temple on three occasions – first by the late Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike, then by the late Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake, and again by the late President J. R. Jayewardene, when he was Prime Minister.
The “sannasa” (scroll) presented by Mrs. Bandaranaike specifically states that this piece of land should be used only for religious activities, and that it be kept free of any kind of building structure. |
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