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12th April 1998

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Brick by brick, tile by tile, the work continues. The devotees are impatient but authorities insist that such a significant project cannot be hurried.

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

The Maligawa under restorationLike the mythi cal phoenix ris ing from the ashes the Dalada Maligawa which suffered a dawn attack by the LTTE on January 25 is gradually rising to its former glory. But the slow pace of restoration work has caused consternation among devotees eager to see the hallowed shrine restored.

The brutal attack wounded not only Buddhists but all Sri Lankans who took pride in the Temple of the Tooth as the country's foremost national symbol. Hence the hurt which transcended all boundaries was felt by all, alike.

The debris has been cleared long since, and the revered Maligawa has been open to the public from February 10. Religious programmes are being conducted as usual.

The roof of the inner chambers which was badly damaged has been temporarily completed while the entire roof is being redone as a priority concern. A group of ten carpenters were busy at work when we paid a visit to the Maligawa.

Young Janaka Priyantha of the State Engineering Corporation said that public response to the restoration was tinged with impatience, with people inquiring constantly as to the progress of the work.

"The Magul Maduwa which had beautifully carved wooden pillars is getting a face lift in addition to an entirely new roof. We are awed by the structural strength and elegance of the previous work. The roofs of the octagonal inner chamber and the Magul Maduwa took two months to complete while the permanent roof would take about four months," he said.

Many others are eagerly working to restore the once spectacular appearance of the Temple. Herath Banda, a mason who is striving to restore the heavily pierced and splintered architectural wall Walakulu Bemma said that it was such a tragedy that people could blow up shrines of such artistry, history and religious significance.

"Being a Kandyan myself, I shed tears when I first came here. I want to restore it to its pristine glory, for it hurts to see its present state. Each layer of cement and each brick we lay is important for this reason."

But some things could never be repaired or restored. The bomb which caused severe structural damage to the Maligawa, also destroyed invaluable stone carvings beyond repair such as the Sandakadapaha (Moonstone) which is to be transferred to the museum once its replica is ready to replace the original.

According to H. G. Muthu Banda, it could take months to carve the Moonstone, and similarly the elephant images at the foot of the temple entrance (Wahalkada) both of which are to be carved of stone.

The Wahalkada which took the impact of the blast has been patched up. The blast also damaged the Paththirippuwa (octagonal chamber), structure of the Pallemale (lower floor), the drummers' court yard though the ante chamber where the relic casket is placed miraculously escaped the blast.

It was King Sri Wickramasinghe Rajasinghe with a vision to create a city of unparalleled elegance and architectural finesse, who constructed the Paththirippuwa (octagon) and the picturesque Walakulu Bemma (decorative short wall) around the Kandy Lake.

The Paththirippuwa which also suffered the severe blow is being retiled and is partially covered with cloth.

What really retards the work is the delays in making the specific tiles and bricks. Special tiles are being made in three villages reputed for pottery and tile work. But for the impatient devotees, the reconstruction process is not fast enough. Authorities handling the project say that a project of such magnitude could not be hurried.

Headed by a team of professionals from the Central Cultural Fund, over twenty areas are being looked into by the restoration team. The State Engineering Corporation, Buildings Department, Ports Authority, Water and Drainage Board and several other government departments are also co-ordinating their efforts. The Ceylon Electricity Board has undertaken to rewire the entire palace complex.

Since the Maligawa blast, city security has been tightened. Several minor roads leading to the temple of the Tooth Relic have been closed.

A devotee has to go through a vigorous body search process prior to gaining entry to the Maligawa now, and the destroyed Wahalkada entrance remains closed to the public. When we visited the Temple, people were working with renewed vigour, expecting a visit from President Kumaratunga who was scheduled to review restoration.

But the custodian of the Temple, Diyawadana Nilame Neranjan Wijeratne claims that despite his repeated requests before and after the devastating blast for a security beef up, nothing has been done.

The Mahanayakes and he have requested for the deployment of two Police and Army battalions on a permanent guard, removal of the Kandy courts complex from the vicinity, erection of new barricades and closure of several roads in the surrounding area.

"We opened the sacred shrine to the public within a fortnight, for we appreciate the sentiments of the devotees. But the construction cannot be hurried due to many practical problems. Restoration of the Maligawa has to be a perfect job, for it has much historical significance. This is why the chief prelates disagreed on any kind of camouflage work.

The Chief Conservator of Mural Paintings of the Central Cultural Fund Ananda Colombage said that some of the paintings would be preserved in their present form as evidence of the LTTE's atrocity.

"Certain paintings have been damaged far too severely for us to restore them, but most of them will be restored," he said.

The mural painters have a problemBut the mural painters have a problem. Modern paints cannot give the murals that age old weathered look and paints have to be constantly remixed to achieve the original colour.

Minister Lakshman Jayakody who heads the Restoration Committee believes that the unfortunate incident has hurt the religious sentiments of the people tremendously. But the restoration of the Maligawa had to be a thorough job which might consume considerable time, he says. This is necessary in order to prevent slip shod work which would prove detrimental in the long run.

The Temple which was open to the public from 6 am to 8.30 pm earlier has revised its official hours. Today, people are admitted only from 9 am to 4 pm, though devotees conducting the thewawa, the poojawa at dawn and dusk are not subjected to this restriction.

As we made our way through the hallowed precincts, the throb of drums inside the drummers' court yard could be heard, signifying the performance of an age old tradition, symbolic of the Maligawa sub-culture.


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