Kataragama - a multi-religious site

Kataragama Deiyo is depicted in human form in an illustration in the front curtain of the shrine at Kataragama Devala; here, he is seen riding on a peacock, his vehicle of transport, and accosted by his two wives.

Kataragama Devala in 1950

He was once believed to be a real flesh-and-blood person, but became a mythical figure later. Thus, Kataragama Deiyo is believed to be a combination of two spiritual gods - Kadira Deva and Skanda Kumar - and is worshipped as one god.

Since the decline of the ancient Sinhala kingdoms on account of non-stop clashes among royalty and the vast destruction and ruin brought about by frequent attacks, especially by the cruel Chola invader Magha, both the Kingdoms of Ruhuna and Anuradhapura ceased to exist. The roads and byways disappeared within a short time.

The country was swallowed up by the jungle, which blotted out everything on its path, rendering the areas the abode of wild animals.

Entrance to the Devala.

Sinhalese kings confined themselves to rule from Dambadeniya, Yapahuwa, Kurunegala, Gampola, Kotte and Kandy. The remains of the ruined cities of Anuradhapura and Ruhuna were gradually covered by the jungle and remained hidden from human view for over four centuries.

It was the last of the foreign conquerors, the British, that directed their interest towards preserving the remaining traces of Sinhalese civilization. The wild jungles of Ruhuna had by then almost approached the precincts (limited areas) of the Tissa Dagoba built by King Kavantissa.

During the dark era of Kataragama, the existence of the ancient shrine was known only to a few villagers who lived there amidst great difficulty. They continued to worship at the shrine, holding on to the faith (on God Kataragama) of their ancestors. Pilgrims of the day had to walk to the shrine as there were no proper roads.

The place where coconuts are dashed.

Some Catholics and Christians are also attracted to Kataragama by the pooja performed at the shrine. Milkrice is offered to God Kataragama at the shrine by Buddhist and Hindu devotees; they also take holy water in their cupped hands and drink it with bowed heads in utmost respect, very much like at a Catholic Mass.

However, these rituals and practices had been conducted long before Christianity was introduced to Sri Lanka.

Muslims too have their own mosque at Kataragama, where they perform religious rites, at the grave of a Muslim dignitary, Saul Palkudi Bawa. Millions worship at this multi-religious shrine, irrespective of their religious beliefs.

At this Devale, there are no arches or figures of gods and idols seen in Hindu temples elsewhere.

The Holiest of Holies, or Maligawa as it is called, is hidden by a curtain, and contains a portrait of God Kataragama. No one is allowed to go into the Maligawa except the Chief Kapurala. He has taken an oath not to reveal a word about what happens inside. It is believed that it is not right to talk about it.

Kataragama deyiyo

Kataragama is an attraction for all time. With the march of time and with modern road constructions, the place is now urbanised. Hotels, guest houses, pilgrims' rests and commercial buildings have invaded upon the boundary of the Menik Ganga, which flows close to the Devale.

The river flows placidly and is shaded by giant Kumbuk trees as old as time, on either bank. The Menik Ganga is venerated by the Hindus as well as Buddhists. Earlier, there was only a suspension bridge across the river.

Now this has been replaced by a narrow concrete bridge, which is not meant for vehicular traffic. According to Saranathissa Thera, the Kataragama Devala premises are a blessed place. Those who have faith in the god will have their wishes come true.

Annual checklist for dog care

It seems only yesterday that your canine friend had its veterinary check-up. But today, once again, you have received that familiar reminder to see the veterinary surgeon. Is another veterinary examination already due?

Here is a checklist of some of the ways you can help ensure your dog's good health throughout the year: you can maintain it round the year and make sure that your dog is healthy and happy.

* Do make an appointment for a veterinary check-up. Even if your dog is not sick, visits to the veterinary surgeon are critical for detecting subtle changes in your pet's physical health. Ideally, dogs should be seen at least once a year, or more frequently if they are elderly or have special medical needs.

* Be sure your dog's vaccinations are up-to-date. Annual vaccinations should include distemper, leptospirosis (new variants of which have prompted development of updated vaccinations), parvovirus and rabies.

* Ask your veterinarian for current recommendations about vaccines against Lyme disease and Bordetella ('kennel cough').

* Whether your dog gets its heartworm preventative year-round or only during mosquito season, its blood should be tested annually for heartworms or their immature microfilaria.

* Discuss flea and tick control with your veterinary surgeon. Products that work against these parasites are updated quickly and frequently. Remember that fleas, or at least their pupae (at the stage between a larva and complete adult), will live year-round in your home and yard!

* Is it time for a dental cleaning, under sedation or anaesthesia, for your canine companion? An annual examination will help determine whether (or when) dental preventative cleaning will be needed.

This is also a good time to evaluate your at-home dental care programme and perhaps demonstrate how you brush your dog's teeth.

* Bring a small sample of your dog's stool to the veterinary clinic, where laboratory technicians will examine it for the presence of parasite eggs. Ask your veterinarian for help with identifying tapeworm (cestode) segments, which are not easily detected in a stool sample.

* An annual assessment of your pet's behaviour will help identify newly emerging problems - perhaps before they become serious. Whether your dog is barking excessively or destroying shoes in your absence, its misbehaviour can usually be controlled if caught in the early stages.

* If your dog is elderly, discuss its special needs with your veterinarian. Just like people, senior dogs may suffer from various organ system problems, osteoarthritis, loss of vision or hearing, and even memory loss or dementia (also known as cognitive dysfunction syndrome).

Luckily, many problems can be successfully controlled with medication or simple lifestyle changes.

Gadaladeniya Temple:

Place to see the best stone carvings

Stupa of the Gadaladeniya temple

Entrance

Some of the carvings

Gadaladeniya Temple, which is situated at Pilimatalawa on the Kandy-Colombo Road, just passing Kadugannawa, is famous for its beautiful stone carvings. This temple was built on a flat rock at Diggala in the 14th Century.

Faded paintings from around that time provide many clues as to the manner in which the temple was built. The art is South Indian, so the general belief is that the workers were also brought down from abroad. The chief architect of this temple had been a South Indian called Ganesvarachari. Therefore, this temple is essentially a South Indian design.

The genius of the Kandyan master craftsmen is very obvious in this region; whereby Gadaladeniya Viharaya is built of stone, the nearby Lankatilaka Viharaya and its Devale are built of clay bricks with a unique architectural design; Embekke Devale is built of wood while the mysterious Galengolla Potgul Viharaya with its valuable ola leaf manuscripts has a cover-up in the style of Florentine rebirth and its interior resembles a Christian basilica with cupola (dome) and octagonal pillars.

The Gadaladeniya Temple also contains a beautifully painted giant wooden chest holding paintings and sculptures of great historical and artistic importance. The entrance to Gadaladeniya features large stone pillars, which support a roof of huge stone slabs.

Within the vihara, an ancient stone and plaster Buddha image looks down upon milkrice pots that have been collecting food offerings for centuries. The 638-year-old jak-wood doors still exhibit their original paintings.

According to an inscription there, this temple was built by King Buwanekabahu IV in the year 1344. The main shrine room has a seated (in Vajrasana ) Buddha statue under a Makara Thorana and four standing Buddha images. The Makara Thorana is decorated on both faces with gods such as Brahma, Suyama, Santhusuta, Natha and Maithree, and two attendants.

The chamber within the Sikhara (dome) has had a Buddha image, which had been destroyed by the Portuguese. Next to the shrine room is a Devale dedicated to God Vishnu.

According to the Mahavansa, the great chronicle of Sri Lanka, it was 'Upulvan Deiyo' (Vishnu) that was selected as the guardian to protect the land of Sri Lanka and Buddhism within it at the time of Buddha's passing away. Therefore, this deity holds a special place among Sri Lankans.

By the side of the Vishnu Devale is a stupa made on a rock. This is believed to have been constructed by King Parakramabahu V. This stupa has a roof built over it, held by four pillars. Four smaller satellite stupas are built on small shrine rooms around the main stupa. This structure is called the Vijayothpaya or Vijayantha Prasada after the mythical palace of god Indra.

This temple had been neglected for some time and then had been handed over to Velivita Saranankara Thera by King Viraparakrama Narendrasinha (1707 - 1739); it had been looked after ever since by his pupils in succession.

Though this temple is known as Gadaladeniya today, an inscription identifies it as 'Dharma Kirthi Viharaya', which is the name of the founding monk. 'Nikaya Sangrahaya' identifies this temple as 'Saddharmathilake' and 'Saddharmalankaraya' identifies this as 'Gadaladeniya Viharaya' after the village in which it is located.

Gadaladeniya is one of the best places to view the original stone carving designs; there are many carvings on the pillars. So, next time you visit Kandy, don't just return after visiting the Dalada Maligawa, visit Gadaladeniya too. You'll be amazed by the beauty of this temple

Spices make your food delicious

Every one of you is sure to have heard about spices. Your mum uses them in her cooking and they add extra flavour to your food. If someone you know cooks yummy food, that is because he/she knows how to use spices properly.

Today, we are going to tell you some facts about spices. Spices are the main 100 per cent natural ingredient people use to add flavour and colour to the food they cook. Chilli, turmeric, pepper and condiments (thuna-paha) are the main spices we use everyday.

Spices not only add flavour to food, but they also have herbal components that kill harmful bacteria or prevent their growth, therefore keeping us away from illnesses. Do you know what properties are found in these spices? Let us explain them a bit to you.

Cardamom

Chilli is the fruit of the plants from the genus Capsicum, and helps add the hot flavour and colour to curries. As you may know, people in Asia love to use chilli in their curries as they want their dishes extra 'hot'. People mostly make chilli powder by drying the capsicum and grinding it.

Turmeric is the rhizome or underground stem of a ginger-like plant. It is usually available as tubes or ground into a bright yellow, fine powder. It is used in dishes to give them a nice yellow tinge and also successfully masks the odour of fish and meat. It is also said that turmeric fights harmful bacteria.

Pepper is another popular spice. We usually use dried fruits, known as peppercorns, to make pepper powder. Depending on the harvest time and the method of processing, peppercorns can be black, white, green or red. Black pepper is most commonly used in our kitchens.

Pepper is used in almost every kind of dish to add them flavour.The next variety is the famous thuna-paha. People choose three or five different spices to make mixed curry powder; for example, coriander, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon and fennel are some of the spices which may be used to make thuna-paha. Now you know about some of the commonly used spices. But you should also be aware about their quality as they are used in food. After all it concerns your health.

Cinnamon

Fennel

As you may know, some people adulterate (make something impure) spices by mixing them with various other things. They do this to increase the quantity of spices they sell so they can make more profit.

People mix sand, salt, flour, straw, poonac, sawdust and chaff (the layer which covers grains) with the spices. Because of the adulteration of spices, the quality of the spices goes down and the flavours they infuse into food become different; most importantly, this could badly affect your health. To find out if salt has been added to your spices, you can taste any of the spices you have bought. If it tastes like salt, then you know that salt has been added.

It is very common to see papaw seeds being mixed with peppercorns. To see if this has been done, place some peppercorns in water and keep for a while. If you find any seeds floating, they are papaw seeds and not pepper. Obviously, they wouldn't taste like pepper too!

Intelligent marine mammals

Today we feature yet another unique marine mammal which is facing serious problems due to us humans. It is the lovable dolphin, a cousin of the famous dolphin

named Flipper in the popular TV series which was telecast sometime ago. Let's check out the lifestyle, habits, and physical features of these cute-faced marine creatures who are known to be very intelligent when compared to most other marine animals,These intelligent mammals are found in our country too. There have been several reports of dolphins being caught in the nets of our fishermen and being injured or killed, eventually.

Dolphins belong to the family Delphinidae, which is the largest and most diverse family of the cetacean order and include 26 living species. Several species of dolphins are found in the Hawaiian waters. However, it is not only in this area that they are found. Dolphins inhabit the oceans worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves. The family Delphinidae is considered a relatively recent addition to the cetacean family, having evolved more recently than the others of its family. Most species of dolphins are larger than porpoises, with the males usually being larger than the females.

The name is originally from the Ancient Greek word (delphs; "dolphin"), which was related to the Greek word (delphys; "womb"). The name can therefore be interpreted as meaning "a 'fish' with a womb.

Dolphins are extremely social creatures and they depend on their social relations even while hunting as well as in reproduction. Unlike the humpback whales and other species of baleen whales, dolphins live in tightly knit groups - smaller groups are called pods which range between two to forty members, and larger groups called schools or herds. These groups can include more than one species, because each species has its own niche. Spotted and Spinner dolphins are constantly found living in such groups. Researchers believe that this is possible because spotted dolphins usually prey on larger creatures closer to the surface, while the Spinner dolphins tend to feed in deeper waters on smaller prey.

They are carnivores, maintaining a diet of mainly fish and squid.

Dolphins are some of the most intelligent animals, and their playful behaviour and friendliness have made them very popular among humans.

Dolphins are adapted extremely well to the sea. Even though their hind limbs have disappeared, their front limbs have developed into flippers. Their powerful tail is the main instrument for them to move forward. Dolphins possess a distinct beak. Their teeth are conical in shape Dolphins usually breathe through what is called the blowhole on the top of their heads. They can empty their lungs and refill them in one fifth of a second. As they breathe, the air leaves the blowholes at speeds of over 100mph. But how do they know when to open their blowholes, because if they open them in the water, they could die?. Well, as we know by now, all creatures are built with special features needed to help them survive in the habitats they live in. So, dolphins too have such special features and they know exactly when the surface is near so that they could open their blowholes. Water in a dolphin's blowhole will definitely drown it, therefore powerful muscles close the blowhole as soon as it dives under the water after taking in a breath of air.

Its eyes produce a slippery liquid which protects the dolphin from unknown substances as well as the water. Like whales the dolphin can only sleep with one brain resting at a time or else it can drown. Dolphins take short cat-naps, floating just below the surface, and then slowly rising to breathe, because breathing is a voluntary procedure for the cetaceans. Often dolphins are very active during night time, and for some, this is their main feeding time.

The skin is completely smooth unlike that of most other mammals, and this allows the dolphin to move faster in the water.

Their bodies are built in a way they could swim at high speeds through the water, and an example of this is their ears. Dolphin's ears are barely noticeable marked only by a small hole just behind the eye. In a bottlenose dolphin, the ear is about 5-6 cms behind the eye and only 2-3 mm in diameter.

Because dolphins feed on schools of prey, most species have developed communal and cooperative hunting practices, as searching for food as a group is more efficient than searching individually. The exception to this rule is the river dolphin who usually feeds on individual prey on the river bottom. They are often found living alone or in very small groups.

Sri Lanka, a tourist paradise

Sri Lanka is a very popular tourist paradise in the world. There are many interesting places in this country. Tourists come here for holidays and for sight seeing.Tourist attractions in our country include ruins, water falls, forests, botanical gardens and sandy beaches. Ruins represent our great old history, our heritage. They are testimony to the times of our ancient rulers the kings. Tourists who are interested in history, sculpture, and art visit these ruins.

There are also many colourful religious festivals in our country such as the Kandy Perahera which attracts many tourists. It is a spectacular event in our country with traditional dancers, drummers and many others including elephants parading the streets. The fire walking ceremony in Kataragama is also eye catching and tourists are fascinated by such religious events.

National parks also play role in the tourist industry. Yala, Wilpattu, Wasgamuwa and Kumana are some of the famous natural parks in our country. Yala is famous for deer, peacocks and elephants while Kumana is famous for birds. In Kumana one can see thousands of birds in their natural habitat. There are may indigenous and migrant birds in this park.Tourists especially, animal lovers never forget to visit these parks and also the elephant orphanage, Pinnawala.

There is also a very interesting place which shows the architectural feats of our great kings. It is the rock fortress Sigiriya.The coral gardens at Hikkaduwa are another feature that increases the natural beauty of our country and attract tourists.

We as Sri Lankans should try to protect and preserve ou

Trees are very important for the existence of human beings. Trees take in carbondioxide and give out oxygen which is essential for humans to survive. Plants also produce food for humans and animals.

The leaves of trees absorb water which evaporates into the atmosphere. When the evaporated water is condensed it falls back to the Earth as rain. In turn the rain water is absorbed by the roots of trees and again evaporated through the leaves to the atmosphere. That is why people say that trees make rain.

Trees are grown in a number of places. Some are grown in jungles like Singharaja. Others are grown in man-made gardens like Peradeniya Botanical Gardens. Certain trees are planted in home gardens. There is a popular tree planting campaign named “Ruk Rekaganna” initiated by Irangani Serasinghe, the famous actress.

People clear jungles for construction purposes and also cultivation. As a result, when the human population increases, the plant population decreases. This is a big problem to fauna and flora of the country.However, there are several programmes to protect trees. The Government has also set up a separate department called “Forest Conservation Department’ in order to protect these jungle resources. Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) too have introduced several programmes to conserve forests. But they alone can’t protect jungles unless they get the co-operation of other people.

Re-forestation programmes are organised by the “Forest Conservation Department” annually with the assistance of several organisations.

Now that we are aware that trees are a part and parcel of human life, it is our duty and responsibility to conserve trees for the benefit of the future generations.

A talented folk poet

She has gone down into history as Gajaman Nona. I doubt whether even one per cent of the Sinhala population knows her true name Dona Isabella Perumal Cornelia. That was how her parents named her. Her parents were Don Franciscu da Senaratna Kumaraja Perumal and Dona Francina Grero. Her father was the Gajaman Aarachchi, an officer in the elephant department. (Gaja is a synonym, word with the same meaning - for elephant.) In course of time, the daughter came to be known as Gajaman Nona.

Dona Isabella Cornelia was born in 1758 in Bambalapitiya not far from Milagiriya Church. Her mother was a teacher in the church school. At that time, the Dutch were ruling the low-country (pahatha rata) of Lanka. The family came to reside in Weragampita in Matara, after her father was made the aarachchi (officer in charge) of the Matara Thombu. Now, what is Thombu? It is the registrar of births, marriages and deaths and of land owners.

Coming to Matara was a step up for little Isabella too. It helped her inborn talents to blossom. Her uncle, Don Daanchi de Silva Abeygunasekera took Isabella under his tutelage. Don Daanchi was known as Paltaayamay Lekam. (Paltaayama is granary). Paltaayamay Lekam was a well-known poet, one of the reputed poets known collectively as the ‘Matara Poets.’

Paltaayamay Lekam taught Isabella, Sinhala, Pali and the art of writing poetry. Later under Karatota Dhammarama, a learned bhikkhu, she studied Pali, Sanskrit and ‘Chandas - alankara.’ Chandas is metrical verse and ‘alankara’ figures of speech like similes and metaphors. She learned how to compose verses in a variety of meters and to use similes, metaphors etc. to make the verses more colourful and add to the meaning.

She had an inborn ability to composed kavi-verses on the spur of the moment. It is said that she did this even as a child. Once when she found the pot she had kept on the ledge of the well missing, she burst into verse requesting the culprit who hid the pot to return it at once.

She developed this inborn talent under the tutelage of her teachers, Paltaayamay Lekam and Karatota Dharmarama thera. Soon she was composing Kavi on various occasions and became known as a poetess.

At the age of 22 she was given in marriage to Merrennage Gardias Aarachchi who was the officer of the Talpe Pattu in the Galle District. It was a happy union as he was a lover of poetry and appreciated her poems. But their happy marriage didn’t last long. The aarachchi died very soon after their son was born. The young widow was left forlorn with a baby son.

Many wanted to marry her. But marriage had no attraction for Gajaman Nona.

However, after much coaxing and advice from her father she consented to a second marriage and Gajaman Nona became the wife of Muhandiram Gabriel Hendrik Siriwardana Wimalasekera of Uyanwatta, Matara. She had three more sons.

Gajaman Nona was not destined to enjoy a happy wedded life. She was widowed a second time and left to bring up four sons by herself.

Life was hard. Her father helped her as and when he could and he was a tower of strength, but feeding and bringing up four small boys was not easy. She earned a little money teaching girls of well-to-do families.

This was a time when people of learning and of positions like Mudaliyars and Muhandirams were corresponding with each other in verse - wishing one another on special occasions, complimenting the receiver, asking for help etc. Gajaman Nona composed such verses on request from friends and relations for which she was paid. These payments helped her tide over difficult times. She herself wrote to well-known persons wishing them well and telling them of her plight. They too sent her gifts in cash.

Although she was down and out Gajaman Nona was not downcast. She had tremendous courage was outgoing and witty. She had many admirers. They sent her verses expressing their love for her. She kept them at arms length. But one man corresponded with her regularly. He was Elapatha Mudali.Dayananda Gunawardana’s play Gajaman Puwatha is based on the love lyrics exchanged by these two - Gajaman Nona and Elapatha Mudali.

In 1796 the Dutch gave up that part of the island they ruled, to the British. The British divided the land into districts and appointed agents to manage them. John Doyle who knew some Sinhala was appointed Agent for the Matara District.

With her father gone - Gajaman Nona was unable to fend for herself. She took courage and addressed an appeal to John Doyle. In four very moving verses she told him that her sons were demanding food and she didn’t have the means to give them a square meal. In one line she says, ‘with hands raised in reverence, I am telling you my sorry state to get some help.”John Doyle gave her a land to maintain herself and her sons. This land and the area surrounding it is known as Nona Gama. It is on the Tangalla-Hambantota road and is now an important junction town. At Nona Gama a road branches off to Wellawaya in the Moneragala District.

Here you find a statue of Gajaman Nona, set up by President Premadasa. She is dressed in the popular style of the day - ankle length skirt and long sleeved blouse.

The six verses she addressed to John Doyle are among her well-known compositions. The best known and most popular is her poem “Denipitiye Nuga Ruka” the banyan tree in Denepitiya, a village a short distance inland from Weligama. This tree stood there by the stream, well into the 1960s, when a storm felled it down. Another tree grew from the trunk, which I saw in the 1980. I was told recently that this tree has been cut down to make way for a cultural centre, What a pity!!

Denipitiye Nuga Ruka is a very special poem. It is the first poem on a single subject, written in Sinhala, and its form, with short rhyming lines is also an innovation. Elapatha Mudali wrote a poem Nugapitiye Nuga Ruka, imitating Gajaman Nona’s poem.

Another well-known poem is that which she wrote on her father’s death. In six verses she gives vent to her grief, sadly recalling the love and help he gave her.He was killed by an elephant in 1801 near Kasagala Vihara.Gajaman Nona wrote a long narrative poem of 206 verses titled Dedi Soka Malaya. Written at the request of Amadoru Samaraweera Aarachchi of Matara. It tells how five Sinhalese men including the aarachchi were exiled to India on the orders of the Govt. Agent for some offence and of their subsequent escape from India.

Pinkam Waruna an account of a pinkama was written on the request of Mudaliya Tilakaratna Disanayaka of Matara.Besides these, very many verses she composed on various occasions have been preserved.

Numerous stories about Gajaman Nona have come down by word of month. One such story told to me by a friend who spent her early childhood in the deep south is about her dressing up as a man and attending classes in English because these classes were only for men!!