HINDUISM

Pada Yatra pilgrims

Chelvatamby Maniccavasagar

In Sri Lanka, there are two foot pilgrimages, one is climbing Sri Pada (Adams Peak) chanting Karunawai, Karunawai and the other is the trek from Jaffna to Kataragama along the Eastern coast with the cries of Haro Hara. This is a traditional procession to Kataragama Murugan temple by people of all walks of life, belonging to many religions and races.

In fact, the Pada Yatra or Foot pilgrimage takes 40 days (approximately 380 miles) from Mulaitivu to Kataragama and this involves simple living with basic food, sleeping under the open sky and drinking from coconut shells.

Realizing the hardships and sufferings of the pilgrims who go on Pada Yatra to Kataragama during the festival season from Jaffna, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and various other places, Kataragama pilgrim Thonder Society President STS Arulananthan has come forward with the tremendous assistance and co-operation of several devotees of Kataragama to put up "Mandapam", resting places for Kataragama Pada Yatra pilgrims who pass through jungles subjecting themselves to emasculating fear due to elephants, leopards and various other ferocious animals on the way. Very often, they sleep under the trees and waysides without any food and water to drink.

Even some pilgrims carry their babies along with them undergoing tremendous sufferings since it takes more than 40 days for them to reach Kataragama from Jaffna.

During the good old days, the Pada Yatra pilgrims started their journey from Thondamanaru Selvasannithy temple in Jaffna and they trekked their way south through Vallipuram, Nagar Kovil, Kudaruppu and Chundikkulam and finally reaching Vattappalai in Mulaitivu.

The Vel which is taken by Pada Yatra pilgrims from Selva Sannidhi temple to Kataragama is supposed to be coming back invisibly to Selva Sannidhi, once the Kataragama festival is over.

Travelling to Kataragama from Jaffna, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and various other places is an extreme difficult task and only a hardened traveller can conquer it by foot. Indeed, the travellers have to suffer from the fury of the sun above and burning sand below when they pass through Vallipuram and Nagarkovil in the Northern part of Jaffna in particular.

Pada Yatra pilgrims are calm and devotional and do not trouble others.

Further, the foot pilgrims from Batticaloa go through Kokkadicholai and Mandur which are on the western side of Batticaloa lagoon. It is an accepted fact that during the good old days our forefathers constructed resting madams for pilgrims on several places which were greatly appreciated by the people. This was considered to be a meritorious deed and dharmic way of life.

Arulananthan should be highly commended for having taken all possible steps to construct "Madams" for Pada Yatra pilgrims in all other places particularly who come from Jaffna and Trincomalee.

In Hinduism it is greatly emphasised that offering "Annathannam" to the poor and putting up of resting hall "Mandapam" are of paramount religious and divine services.

Arulananthan's unselfish and religious service which he performs with dedication and devotion to the Kataragama devotees particularly to Pada Yatra pilgrims should be greatly appreciated and recognized by Hindus and Buddhists respectively.