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From Gangaramaya to border villages
View(s):The history of Buddhism started in Sri Lanka and India almost at the same time. With the arrival of the Venerable Mahinda Thera, son of king Dharmasoka of India, to Sri Lanka, not only the history of both the countries but also Buddhist history came to be well established. The visit of Ven. Sangamitta Theri with the Sacred Bo Sapling to Sri Lanka and the arrival of the Sacred Dalada relic have further cemented the cultural and religious ties between the two countries.
Later on, the Asokan era Sanchi Viharaya in India became world famous and influenced kings of Sri Lanka to construct temples and other places of worship here. Ruwanweliseya, Jetavanaramaya, Thuparamaya and Lowamahapaya are some of these. Buddhism in India flourished despite threats from certain Hindu influences. This is evident even in the Buddhagaya conflict. The Sacred Dalada was sent to Sri Lanka for its protection as there were conflicts among Indian kings. Even Indian kings believed at the time that Buddhism would be safe here in Sri Lanka.
Since we were influenced by the Buddhist culture in India, statues like the Samadhi began to be constructed here. Though we had a Samadhi statue there are no records to indicate we had a protective house made of rocks for it. Even the protective edifice put up later was not made out of rock. Recently a beautiful statue of Lord Buddha was carved out of rock at the Rambadagalla Temple in Kurunegala. This was not the work of Sri Lankan craftsmen. The Easwaran Brothers Company had hired craftsmen from India to build a Kovil and the Chief Incumbent of the Rambadagalla temple met them and got them to do this Buddha statue. The President, the Prime Minister, Ministers and several other people contributed to make this a reality. The completed statue out of the rock is a sight to behold today.
I started the construction of the Seemamalakaya at the Beira Lake in 1976. When I visited the Calona area in Canada full of lakes, I thought of building a new Seemamalakaya. The former Seemamalakaya collapsed in May, 1954 while some 50 monks were inside. But only one monk suffered injuries. Two decades later, when I was in Canada I made a firm resolution to build a strong Seemamalakaya. I made my intentions known to Jeffrey Bawa, the highly respected and renowned architect, a great lover of Sri Lanka’s culture. To construct this anew he looked at the plan of Ambekka Devale. After constructing the Gangaramaya Seemamalakaya, Mr. Bawa undertook the construction of the new parliament complex at Diyawanna Oya. To build this, he took into account how the Gangaramaya Seemamalakaya was built. He has indicated in his book that the plan for the parliament complex was drawn after studying the Seemamalakaya. Today all those who visit the Gangaramaya Seemamalakaya admire its beauty. This spot was filled with 20 to 30 feet of mud at the time. This was a marvel of the construction industry and I am sure all the blessings of the Lord Buddha are there for this. Anyone can see the thickness of its walls. There is not a trace of any sinking or even minor damage.
The next dream I had was to build a Samadhi statue similar to the statue carried in procession in the Navam Perahera. I wanted to build it out of rock and place it in the Gangaramaya temple. I spoke to one of my Chinese friends about this. He got a statue made of fibre and sent it to China. Later he got down to China three slabs of white jade from Myanmar. Two of these slabs broke. Out of the remaining slab, a large and a beautiful Samadhi statue was made in keeping with our culture and style. To place this statue at Gangaramaya, a large Buddha Mandhiraya, weighing 48 tons has been brought down from China in four containers. No nails will be used to put this rock Mandhiraya together. The sacred relics will be interred in this Mandhiraya and will be opened tomorrow, December 14, for public veneration.
December 14 is also my birthday. It is true that I celebrate my ordination day as my birthday. I have invited 5,000 novice monks who deserve our help. A part of this group will come on the 14th. They will be presented with bowls made of noncorrosive metal, and the evening dana and provision for their future education and travelling will also be taken care of. All these will be done with the help of Gangaramaya devotees. I am appealing to the readers of this article to call over on the 14th evening and take part in these religious proceedings.
The war is over and there are no border villages any more. But there are many shortcomings in these former border villages. People in these villages – the Sinhalese, the Tamils and the Muslims — are still suffering. It is true the Government made roads, trains now run up to Jaffna and electricity is available. People have been settled. There is outward development. But people are still not on their feet.
I wish to dedicate 2016 to these people. All those who are reading this in the four corners of this country please contribute in kind to raise the standard of living of the people in the North and the East. You could bring your contribution and hand them over to the Gangaramaya. It doesn’t matter whether the items are new or used. These items can be bicycles, motorbikes, wheelbarrows, agricultural implements, water tanks, roofing sheets, toilet fittings, dry rations and children’s goods. I undertake to handover your donations to the people who were affected by the actions of the terrorists.
Please send your suggestions to: Ven. Galboda Gnanissara Thera, Gangaramaya, Colombo 02.