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Grandest Vesak festival in hill capital

by S. M. Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy South Group Correspondent

It turned to be the grandest Vesak festival ever in the hill capital this year on Thursday - May 15, as it saw one of the largest crowds ever seen admiring the beautifully decorated area with myriads of lights both at lamps and electric.

Sri Dalada Maligawa and its environs were well illuminated with diverse colours of electric bulbs which included the trees in the Mahamaluwa. A large number of devotees attended the poojas conducted at the Sri Dalada Maligawa. The crowds here was one of the biggest ever seen on a Vesak Day. The crowds was something like during the Randoli Perahera. Kandy's Lake which is little short of three kilometres was lit up with lights radiating from the trees around it.

People arrived in Kandy by both public and private transport and trains from the early hours of Thursday and the town was virtually chock-a-block. Almost all the top hotels were fully booked and this prompted the Chairman of the Ceylon Tourist Board Paddy Withana to comment to this correspondent that hotels in Kandy were so full up that he just managed to create for himself a room at Kandy's Old Lady - the Queens Hotel, on Thursday.

There were pandals, lanterns and other illuminations to interest the sightseers. Even the hills in Tennakumbura and Gurudeniya areas were lit with Vesak lanterns depicting various structures. There was also a Vesak Lantern contest near the Kandy Boat House on specially constructed structures.

Peradeniya and Katugastota areas too drew large crowds. At the Market Square in Kandy, there was a large Vesak pandal depicting a Jataka Story put up by the Traders' Association.

The Mahanuwara Sathydharmadana Samithiya conducted its Vesak Carols for the 105th successive year, on Thursday night. According to an organiser this is the oldest Vesak carol in Kandy and at first it was done in carts drawn y bullocks and later carbide lamps were used to illuminate the vehicle carrying the Carol singers and now it is illuminated by generators and more modern musical equipment are used.

There was also Bhakthi Gee organised by the Bank of Ceylon at its Super Grade Branch premises near the Ismail Clock tower which had a natural platform and the crowds were able to watch it from any distance. These Bhakthi Gee singers were from Dharmaraja College.

Dansalas were in plenty dishing out free food and sweet drinks to the large crowds which thronged the hill capital to refresh themselves. There was also plenty of drinking water for the public in plastic barrels placed around the lake which helped the crowds to quench their thirst.

A very large number of foreign tourists and other foreign devotees were noticed among the crowds. This year's Vesak celebration also coincided with the 250th Anniversary of the Siam Upasampada and a joint Exhibition of Sri Lanka and Thailand was held at the Senkadagala YMBA Hall which drew large crowds and this will conclude on May 18th.

The Kandy Police deployed additional men to control the large number of vehicles and crowds. They did a good job and the crowds were more than satisfied with the services rendered by the police which was headed by DIG Nimal Mediwake, SSP Kandy Division Gunatillake Banda, ASP's S. Serasinghe, Gamini Senaviratne and B. Peramuna and the Head Quarters Inspector Edmund Mahendra.

Kandy Municipal Council headed by its Mayor Kesara Senanayake ensured that there was an uninterrupted supply of water in the city, so that the devotees need not go around looking for water. The Mayor Kesara Senanayake in a plea to the visitors to the city said that Kandy is a Heritage City and it is out duty to keep the city clean and beautiful.

This is a holy city and he requested the visitors to help the authorities to maintain the beauty and cleanliness of the city by not scattering the place especially the lake also with polythene, papers and bottles. There are garbage bins placed around the lake and these could be dropped into them. It must be stated that Kandy's present Mayor and other Councillors have been taking a lot of interest to keep Kandy clean and green through many programmes.

So it was a very happy and enjoyable Vesak for the residents and visitors to Kandy this year.

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