Monks strive to protect Sri Maha Bodhi
Buddhism's holiest tree in Anuradhapura tightly guarded by monks and
Security Forces after Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) attacked
it 23 years ago is under threat again this time from monkeys.
Pilgrims are frisked and scanned by metal detectors before being
allowed to worship the Sri Maha Bodhi, grown from a sapling of a tree in
India that sheltered the Buddha when he attained enlightenment more than
2,550 years ago.
But primates in the temple compound are free to swing from
tree-to-tree, grab sweet offerings and in the process endanger what
Buddhists believe is the world's oldest religiously significant tree, a
Banyan species propped up by iron supports at temple ruins dating back
2,300 years.
The tree is not only an object of worship, but a symbol of national
sovereignty. Buddhist devotees from India, Myanmar, Thailand, Korea and
Japan visit to pay homage, while tourists also flock to the scene
despite the security procedures.
Atamasthanadhipati Ven. Pallegama Sirinivasa, Chief Sanghanayaka
Thera, 54, said he is now more worried about damage caused by the troops
of monkeys than the LTTE. In 1985, Tigers shot dead three monks and 142
pilgrims at the site.
"Terrorists had an idea of destroying this tree because it's a
spiritual magnet," the monk told AFP at his temple near the tree. "Even
in the 1985 attack, this tree didn't suffer a single bullet."
He said he was unaware of any recent reports of the LTTE planning to
strike again. "What I see as the main challenge today is protecting the
Sri Maha Bodi from macaques and monkeys," the monk said.
The tree is surrounded by a gold-plated fence and protected night and
day, spiritually and physically, by soldiers and police as well as
monks. But the monk said he wanted to use technology to help police as
well as civilian volunteers guard the tree from monkeys.
Guards ring bells, burst crackers or flash torch lights to scare off
the invading primates, but Buddhism won't allow the use of violence to
deter the monkeys.
AFP
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