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| Saturday, 29 May 2004 |
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Preserving its Glory In a few days time Mihinthale will be illuminated by thousands of lights sponsored by The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd; Which will attract many more thousands of pilgrims to this venerated town. Beside this annual spectacle prelates and villagers of the area are putting up with many odds at preserving its sacred image. by Prasad Abu Bakr.
Mihinthale still stands as pristine as it did over the years at the same crossroads leading to the North and the East. but with many challenges to face up to in comparison to its being an easily accessible neighbour to those troubled towns that borders it, the town has preserved its image as an alcohol free zone. it has never had wine stores or liquor bars operating within its territory. Prelates and villagers have withstood the introduction of this menace over the years. There has been attempts from time to time by un-scrupulous elements to switch on the green light in this connection, supporters of certain political parties have at different times tried dubious methods to open up bars or out-lets in the guise of 'chinese restaurants' selling liquor to the vast number of young men travelling to Mihinthale along with bands of pilgrims from different parts of the country. Mihinthale was always a favourite point with pilgrim makers over the years but was an insignificant hub until recent times.
The course of events that led to it's rapid development in many sectors such as roads and housing besides electricity and water projects made this important link to the north and east self sufficient in a few ways. Today as you reach this town its improvements are showing. If one has visited it in the early seventies for the last time then one is in for a pleasant surprise. Shops, Tea boutiques and shops selling textiles, Communication Centres and Photo Studios, Hardware shops and many other commercial ventures are visible in place of a few huts with cadjan roofings that were scattered around in the seventies. A large number of trishaws are also seen parked on either side of the road making travelling to nearby places easier and more accessible to anybody seeking to do so.
With the many elections held in adjoining villages and the suburbs of Mihinthale, there has been a boost in way of electricity, water and extended housing projects. in recent times small time industrial projects have succeeded in finding employment to a small number of village youth. Nonetheless the main stream of work for many in this land of rich soil has been cultivation. As one travels across this land it is evident that cultivation and farming have been their lifeline and these people thrive on it withstanding the unkind climatic conditions that prevail most part of the year. Even at present, delayed rains have threatened farmers with an impending drought in the area. The `Maha Kanadarawa' tank which supplies a major part of the water that is necessary to irrigate the area's farmlands stands with almost more than half of its contents dried up depriving farmers of a timely yield.
It is amidst many hardships that the people of Mihinthale lead their daily lives. Selling their produce even if they have a good annual yield has become a trying task even today. According to them corrupt officials are making a quick buck by quoting lower prices making room for private enterprise to creep in and buy it at a minimal difference thus parting with a couple of rupees to the officials concerned. So, the open market in fact hasn't done much good to these people that toil in the fields or make their living through chena cultivation in comparison to the cosmopolitan businessman who can survive within today's economy by importing third rate trash from export reject markets, especially in Asia. What leaves these people in total bewilderment is the `hurry' exercised by top level officials to import even the most common vegetables available in the country in large quantities thus drawing a competitive price mark that the local variety fails to catch-up with. Among these problems is the one that is faced by the traveller. If one is hoping to stay overnight within the sacred town there is no economy class accommodation. The Pilgrims Rest which comes under the purview of ANCL has on offer facilities for large groups of pilgrims at very low rates which is considered a yeoman service especially during the Poson period. The other option is rather a baffling truth, the Rest House which is operated by the Hotels Corporation has double rooms priced at Rupees 2200 as a `Room Only' charge and the food at an additional cost. That may well sum-up what Mihinthale has to offer to the budget traveller within its town limits. There are other `little stories' and experiences that this much revered hamlet has survived though not all of them are as soothing to the ear as its well known encounter at the foot of the Missaka Rock between king Devanampiyatissa and Arhant Mahinda that happened here in Mihinthale which made the king and the citizens renounce hunting. But villagers say that it still happens and the culprits succeed in pulling the wool over the eyes of wildlife authorities who sometimes fail in their job by not being alert to the happenings around them. In the past there had been incidents where outsiders have settled in the area acquiring land from their `political friends' under the pretext of cultivating but was found to be growing Marijuana and peddling it within the vicinity and also bringing it to Colombo. In a town where liquor is not to be sold in public any 10 kilometres inside of the four trunk routes that lead to it, the authorities have a moral obligation to stamp it out in a big way. On a special day as Poson when a great message of discipline was preached to us, this moral obligation becomes as significant as that sublime message itself. |
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