Poson festival:

Mammoth crowds expected in Anuradhapura

Nimal Wijesinghe Anuradhapura Additional District Group Corr

The Anuradhapura special Poson festival steering committee is expecting a mammoth crowd of around three million devotees to visit Anuradhapura and Mihintale Sacred zones during this year's Poson celebrations as Poson falls within the 2600th Sambuddhatva Jayanthi commemorative year.

The Poson Full Moon Poya day falls on June 15, 2011, and the week starting from June 12, has been declared Anuradhapura Poson festival week.

The traditional week long Poson pirith chanting ceremony would commence at 9.00 am on June 11 following the procession carrying water from Tissawewa to be placed in the special pirith mandapaya standing in Mahamevuna Uyana within close proximity to the Sacred Sri Maha Bodhi.

During the Poson celebrations, the 'Lak Danavi' institute will sponsor the illuminations of Ruwanweli Seya and the Jethawana Dagoba, and Parakrama Electricals would contribute for lighting the historic Isurumuniya temple premises. The Peth Maga (Pathway) from Ruwanweli Seya to the Sri Maha Bodhi would be illuminated by the CEB.

The 'Lake House' would jointly support the CEB in illuminating the Mihintale Sacred City by using nearly 40,000 colour bulbs.

Providing of electricity to the Mihintale and Anuradhapura Sacred Cities, the CEB would spend a sum of Rs 3,792,000 while the WS and DB will incur an expenditure of Rs five million for supplying drinking water to the devotees.

The CGR, CTB the Passenger Transport Authority jointly with the Private Bus Owners Society would operate a fleet of additional buses and trains to Anuradhapura and Mihintale. The AVIVA - NDB is to offer a free trip to Mihintale from Anuradhapura to and fro in a special passenger train on the 14, 15 and 16 in 56 train excursions.

A series of religious observances being organized by the "Maha Karuna" Buddhist Association in Singapore during the festive season would be a special feature. Ven K Gunarathana Nayaka Thera, the project coordinator of Singapore's Maha Karuna Buddhist Society said that under the blessings of the Atamasthanadhipathi Ven Pallegama Sirinivasa Nayaka Thera, the Ruwanweli Chethiyaramadhipathi Ven Pallegama Hemarathana Nayaka Thera and the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, a program has been scheduled to offer alms and requisites to 2600 novice bikkhus at Ruwanweli Seya in addition to presenting clothing to sil observers, Dhamma school teachers and students along with educational appliances and dictionaries.

Referring to the religious festive season, the Ruwanweli Seya Chethiyaramadhipathi Ven Pallegama Hemarathana Nayaka Thera told the Daily News that the patronizing and propagating agencies were used to broadcast improper songs and during the previous Poson festival, banners and cutouts exhibited in Anuradhapura and Mihintale contradicting to the criteria approved by the steering committee were removed and such incidents shouldnt be allowed repeat, the Nayaka Thera said further.

"During this year's Poson festival season, taking in to consideration that the government has declared this year as the 2600th Sri Sambuddhatva Jayanthi commemoration year, we the Maha Sangha appeal to local government bodies and the government agents not to allow persons and institutes to transform Anuradhapura and Mihintale Sacred Cities into "trade zones" meant to earn money exploiting the religious atmosphere.