News
Pilgrims felt blessed to worship the ‘Dalada’ despite lapses
View(s):By Tharushi Weerasinghe
Over the past week, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims travelled to Kandy for the special exposition, “Sri Dalada Vandanawa”, at the Temple of the Tooth Relic — to experience what many devotees describe as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view the revered tooth relic of the Buddha.
“I felt so blessed that I was able to worship the relic, because this is the closest I can get to worshipping the Lord Buddha himself,” said Deepa Seneviratne, a 68-year-old retired state official who visited. She lined up for two days, starting on Tuesday (April 22),after a relative held a spot in the queue for her. “There was a massive crowd and heavy traffic congestion that slowed buses to a crawl.”
A once-in-a-life time opportunity for many. Pix by Shane Seneviratne
Ms. Seneviratne also noted that refreshments were plentiful. “The army gave packets of rice, they were simple but hot and tasty, and dansal would happen at such frequent intervals.” Food distribution was done hygienically by people wearing gloves in considerate packaging. However, she added that the resulting waste happened because some devotees would take more food than they needed.
Queue-jumping was common, especially when devotees would fall asleep. She said those closer to the end of the line had to wait longer because people were cutting in further ahead.“The police were very active and tried to maintain order whenever there was a disruption. They introduced a token sticker, which we had to wear until we reached the temple, to differentiate between those in the queue and those who were sneaking in to the front of the queue.”
Once pilgrims got to the temple entrance, the chants and prayers began. “In unison, people say the daathu gatha, and it is a beautiful moment of relief and sanctification because the pilgrimage is at the cusp of its peak at that point.”
Toilets, while available, were too far apart, though a few paid porta-potties had been set up and were better maintained. She also noted there was a VIP queue.
Others claimed that in certain parts of the queue, police linked their arms to form a cover against queue jumpers who were rampant, especially around the Rathu Bokkuwa. “I noticed a lot of VIPs who know the police get access, though,” said 70-year-old Kalamani Kusumalatha from Minuwangoda, who claimed that the entire pilgrimage would take one and a half days at most if no one cut in line.
She also echoed that devotees were well fed on the line. “From seeni sambal bread to ice cream to kadala, there was so much to eat,” she said. Residents offered rose apples and guava from their gardens.
Kalamani Kusumalatha
This was Ms. Kusumalatha’s third time visiting an exposition of the tooth relic, with the second successful attempt, and she noted that she had many spiritual discussions with the people around her. “But the groups changed when there was a sudden gap in the line, and everyone ran forward.”
She noted that since bathroom facilities were not available, she endured without a shower.
“When I said this to a policeman near us, he told me not to worry because what was in my heart mattered more — I feel very content that I got to experience this.”
Devotees also said they felt assured of safety. “Women police officers would come routinely and ask for our consent to check bags and do random checks, which everyone complied with happily,” said Ranjith Vijithalal, 58. Police dogs would also patrol past the queues. Three security checkpoints were also set up at different points of the queue, which included body scanners and checks right before entering the temple, where men and women were separated onto different lines.
The crowds, he reiterated, were overwhelming. He joined the queue with family friends about 10 km from the entrance and would only move about 1.5km forward every day. “People were sleeping on the pavement, but only those who came with someone else could take a toilet break — if you were alone, leaving would mean losing your place in the line.”
He said that the garbage was a significant issue. While Kandy Municipal Council had routinely emptied bins, no efforts were made to clean the roads. “Even near the river, there was no effort to collect litter or guide the public.”
He felt the pilgrims needed to be supported since they were told not to bring bags or food and drink. He plans to visit the area with his family for a voluntary cleanup. “The city was opened up for a sacred cause, we need to honour that.”
Ranjith Vijithalal
Deepa Seneviratne
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