Anuradhapura packed with Poson pilgrims

Chitraratna Kaluarachchi Anuradhapura

The holy city and the precincts of the eight ancient shrines of Anuradhapura were filled with an unprecedented number of pilgrims who had come for worship during the Poson Poya yesterday.

The special feature of this year’s Poson festival was that people who enjoyed the freedom from fear after more than two decades moved about the holy city with joy and devoted to their religious observances.

Religious rites and observances in Anuradhapura and Mihintale were organized under the direction of the Atamasthnadhipathi Ven Dr.Pallegama Sirinivasa Nayake Thera and Nuwara Kalawiya division Chief Sanghanayake Ven Pallegama Hemarathana Nayake Thera by District Secretary H.M.K. Herath.

A large number of religious observances including Seela, Dana, Dhamma sermons, offering of flowers to the Buddha were held at the eight holy shrines, Samadhi Buddha image and the Sarananda Pirivena by the devotees led by the Maha Sangha. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims had converged on the holy city for Poson and the chanting of ‘Saadhu’ by the pilgrims reverberated the holy city which was unheard for a long time.

Tens of thousands of pilgrims who had come to the holy city from the day before Poson poya were engaged in religious activities coming to a climax yesterday with more pilgrims coming in. All essential services like, water, sanitation, food and security were provided.

State and voluntary bodies had organized nearly a hundred Dana Salas for the benefit of the pilgrims.

It was an unprecedented Poson festival with the joy of pilgrims pervading air.