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The light of Vesak falls on Nuwara Eliya
View(s):- By Kasun Warakapitiya
The State Vesak Festival, this year themed “Let us associate with noble friends endowed with virtuous qualities”, began yesterday under the patronage of the President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
This was the first time when a State Vesak Festival was held in the hill station.
The festival commenced after the wahalkada thorana (ornamental gateway) of the Bambarakelle temple was declared open at 10 am.
The Central Cultural Fund declared open their exhibition alongside a students’ art competition at the International Buddhist Centre, Nuwara Eliya. The exhibition and art competition are to be held till May 14 and is open to the public from 9.30 am to 8 pm.
A bhakthi gee programme by officials of the state institutions of Nuwara Eliya and the police is to be held today at the International Buddhist Centre.
The Sri Lanka Air Force would have their bhakthi gee programme at the same venue on Monday, May 12. On May 14, 15 and 16, bhakthi gee programmes would be held by daham pasal students from the Nuwara Eliya Shasanarakshaka Mandala and the International Buddhist Centre. Meanwhile a Vesak lantern exhibition too will be held till Friday May 16.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake hands over the sannasa to a member of the clergy before the inauguration of the state Vesak Festival
Enviornmental conservation programs and shramadanas would also be held in conjunction with the Clean Sri Lanka programme.
Sil and meditation programmes are also scheduled for Monday, the Vesak Poya day. The day following the Vesak day (Tuesday May 13) programmes would be held to promote moral values.
On Wednesday, May 14, capacity building programmes for Buddhist monks studying in pirivenas will be held and on Thursday May 15, spiritual development programmes raising awareness among daham pasal students and the youth would be held. The round-up of programmes would draw to an end on Friday, May 16, with “Sil Suwandai hela Diviyai” a programme conducted in accordance withthe Lord Buddha’s discourse for healthy life.
The Commissioner General of Buddhist Affairs, R. M. P. Ratnayake, told the Sunday Times that they had arranged special traffic plans and security arrangements and are coordinating with the senior police officials in Nuwara Eliya and the District Secretary.
Nuwara Eliya District Secretary R.A.D.T.N. Tennakoon said that they have provided all facilities for the general public.
She added that this was the first time a State Vesak Festival had to create contingency plans to shift bhakthi gee programmes indoors at the Town Hall if the cold weather increased during the night.
Monks make their way from Bandarawela to attend the festival. Pic by Shelton Hettiarachchi
She said that they are coordinating with the Disaster Management Centre to carry out the programmes smoothly.
She added that adequate washroom facilities and garbage disposal facilities will be provided for people visiting Nuwara Eliya during the festival.
She requested the general public not to litter around, and use the facilities provided responsibly.
“Dustbins and portable toilets have been placed at convenient places; we request people to use them properly and avoid littering around and making the cleaners’ job more difficult” she said.
She added that following the Vesak festival they have planned to carry out a special cleaning programme.
Meanwhile Vesak will be celebrated island-wide, with displays of Vesak lanterns and decorations. There are to be 23 pandals (thorana) within Colombo, including the ones at Kosgashandiya, Orugodawatta, Thotalanga, Dematagoda, Bellanwila, Malambe, Athurugiriya, Moratuwa and Dehiwala. Pandals will also be set up at Kiribathgoda and Peliyagoda.
The Public Health Officers’ Union said that over 25,000 PHOs are deployed island wide to monitor dansals.
According to the Secretary of the Union, M.A.A.D.S Muthukuda, by 1.00 pm yesterday there were 8612 dansals registered under them.
He said that they would commence today the inspection of the premises of dansals as well as the kitchens where the food is made, to check hygienic conditions of the premises, raw materials used, and the hygienic conditions of the persons who prepare food and offer it to the public.
A large crowd attended the opening ceremony. Pic by Shelton Hettiarachchi
| Back to peace, compassion and generosity: UNESCO’s message The Director-General of UNESCO, Ms. Audrey Azoulay, extended her well wishes for the international Vesak day. Her message said that “This day, now celebrated every year following a decision taken by UNESCO’s Member States at the 219th session of the Executive Board, invites us to get back to basics: to peace, compassion and generosity. These are universal values, which we must nurture in our minds and in our actions – for, as the Preamble to UNESCO’s Constitution reminds us, it is in the minds of men and women that the defenses of peace are constructed”. She said that they work every day to cultivate this peace, notably through education, and added that it is the purpose of their recently published guide to integrating social and emotional learning into school curricula – a tool for transmitting the values of empathy, respect and dialogue from the earliest age. Bhakthi Gee at the Presidential Secretariat The Vesak Bhakthi Gee Saraniya is scheduled to be held at the Presidential Secretariat premises on May 12, 13, 14, and 15, in conjunction with the “Buddha Rashmi Vesak Kalapaya” jointly organized by the Hunupitiya Gangaramaya Temple, the Presidential Secretariat, and the Prime Minister’s Office. This Bhakthi Gee programme will feature performances by Bhakthi Gee groups from the Tri-Forces, Police and Civil Security Department, along with the participation of popular vocalists. Preparing for Poson at Sithulpawwa and Tissamaharama A discussion on the upcoming series of religious events scheduled to be held at the Sithulpawwa and Tissamaharama Raja Maha Viharas in view of Poson Poya, was held Thursday, May 08 at the Presidential Secretariat. The meeting was presided by Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake. During the discussion, the Chief Incumbents of the Sithulpawwa and Tissamaharama temples requested the Secretary to the President to provide necessary facilities for the large number of devotees expected to attend the events. Ven Lelwala Samitha Thera, the Viharadhikari of Sithulpawwa Raja Maha Vihara, specifically requested that steps be taken to immediately repair the road from Kataragama to Sithulpawwa. Accordingly, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake instructed the relevant officials to take the necessary measures to ensure the successful organisation of the Poson religious events at both Sithulpawwa and Tissamaharama Raja Maha Viharas.
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