Enterance of Katharagama
Kataragama (Sinhala: කතරගම (katharagama), Tamil: கதிர்காமம் (katirkāmam)) is a pilgrimage
town sacred to Buddhist, Hindu and indigenousVedda people of Sri Lanka.
People from South India also come there to worship. The town has the Ruhunu Maha
Kataragama devalaya, a shrine dedicated to Skanda-Murukan also known as Kataragamadevio.
Kataragama is in the Monaragala
District of Uva province,
Sri Lanka. It is 228 km ESE of Colombo,
the capital of Sri Lanka. Although Kataragama was a small village in medieval
times, today it is a fast-developing township surrounded by jungle in the
southeastern region of Sri Lanka.
It houses the ancient Kiri Vehera Buddhist stupa. The town has a
venerable history dating back to the last centuries BCE. It was the seat of
government of many Sinhalese kings during the days of Rohana kingdom.
Since the 1950s the city has undergone many improvements with successive
governments investing in public transportation, medical facilities, and
business development and hotel services. It adjoins the popular Yala
National Park.
Early history
The general vicinity of Kataragama has yielded evidence of human
habitation at least 125,000 years ago. It has also yielded evidence of
Mesolithic and Neolithic habitations.
Historic period
During
the historic period, the general area was characterized by small reservoirs for
water conservation and associated paddy cultivation. Kataragama village is
first mentioned in the historical annals known as Mahavamsa written in the 5th century CE. It
mentions a town named Kajjaragama from which important dignitaries came to
receive the sacred Bo
sapling sent from Asoka’s Mauryan Empire in 288 BCE.
It
functioned as the capital of number of kings of the Ruhuna kingdom. It provided
refuge to many kings from the north when the north was invaded by South Indian
kingdoms. It is believed that the area was abandoned around the 13th century.
Based on
archeological evidence found, it is believed that the Kiri Vehera was either
renovated to build during the first century BCE. There are number of others
inscriptions and ruins. By the 16th century the Kataragamadevio shrine at
Kataragama had become synonymous with Skanda-Kumara who was a guardian deity of
Sinhala Buddhism.The town was popular as a place of
pilgrimage for Hindus from India and Sri Lanka by the 15th century.
The
popularity of the deity at the Kataragama temple was recorded by the Pali chronicles of Thailand such as
Jinkalmali in the 16th century. There are Buddhist and Hindu legends that
attribute supernatural events to the locality.
Scholars such as Paul Younger and
Heinz Bechert speculate that rituals practiced by the native priests of
Kataragama temple betray Vedda ideals of propitiation. Hence they believe the
area was of Vedda veneration that was taken over by the Buddhist and Hindus in
the medieval period.
Kataragama Temple
Temple of Syncretism
Kataragama
is a multi-religious sacred town as it contains an Islamic Mosque within its temple complex as well.
In spite
of the differences of caste and creed, many Sri Lankans show great
reverence to God Kataragama. They honor him as a very
powerful deity and beg divine help to overcome their personal
problems or for success in business enterprises, etc., with the fervent hope
that their requests will be granted.
They believe that God Kataragama exists
and is vested with extraordinary power to assist those who appeal to him with
faith and devotion in times of distress or calamity.
Hindu Katirkamam
Tamil Hindus of Sri
Lanka and South India refer to the place as Katirkamam. Lord Katirkaman is
associated with Skanda-Murukan. Saivite Hindus
of South India call him Subrahmanya as well. He is known as Kandasamy,
Katiradeva, Katiravel, Kartikeya, and Tarakajith.
Some of these names are
derived from the root katir from Katirkamam. "Katir" means formless
light. The Deity is depicted with six faces and twelve hands or one face and
four hands. Out of love for Lord Murugan and to mitigate bad karma, bhaktars pierce
their cheeks and tongues with vels,
pull large chariots carrying murthi of Murugan with large hooks pierced through the
skin of their backs. This practice is known as kavadi. Murugan's vahana or
vehicle is Mayil, the peacock.
There is a related shrine called Sella Katirkamam dedicated to the
beloved elephant-faced God Ganesha nearby, who is known as Lord Murugan's elder
brother. The local Manik Ganga or Manika Gangai (River of Gems) is a place of
ablution where a sacred bath is taken to purify oneself. Local residents
declare that one can be healed of ailments by bathing in it from its high gem
content and the medicinal properties of the roots of trees that line the river
through the jungle.
Buddhist Kataragama
Many Sinhala Buddhists of Sri Lanka believe
that Kataragama deviyo is a guardian deity of
Buddhism and he is the presiding deity of Kataragama temple. Kataragama is one
of the 16 principal places of Buddhist pilgrimage
to be visited in Sri Lanka.
According to the chronicle of Sri Lankan history,
the Mahawamsa,
when the Bo sapling
of Bodhi Tree,
under which Gotama Buddha attained enlightenment in North India was
brought to the city of Anuradhapura 2,300 years ago, the warriors or Kshatriyas from
Kataragama were present on the occasion to pay homage and respect.
The Bo tree behind the Kataragama temple is one of the eight
saplings (Ashta Phala Ruhu Bodhi) of Sri Maha Bodhiya in Anuradapura, Sri Lanka.
This tree was planted in the 3rd century BC.
The Buddhist Kiri Vehera Dagoba
which stands in close to the Kataragama devalaya was built by the King
Mahasena. According to the legend, Lord Buddha, on his third and the last visit
to Sri Lanka, was believed to have met King Mahasena, who ruled over the
Kataragama area in 580 BC.
It is said that King Mahasena met Lord Buddha and
listened to his discourse. As a token of gratitude, the Dagoba was built on
that exact spot where it now stands. Thus the local Sinhalese Buddhists
believe that Kataragama was sanctified by Lord Buddha.
Pre-Hindu and Buddhist origins
The deity
at Kataragama is indigenous and long-celebrated in Sri Lankan lore and legend,
and originally resides on the top of mountain called Wædahiti Kanda (or hill of
the indigenous Vedda people) just outside of the Kataragama
town. Since ancient times an inseparable connection between theKataragama God and his domain has existed. At one
time the local deity was identified with God Saman, a guardian deity of Buddhism and Sri
Lanka.
As was
the Sinhalese tradition, local ancestors, rulers and kings, who did a great
service to the country or community were ordained as deities. According to the
legendary hisrtory, God Samanwas an ancient ruler of the Deva people in the Sabaragamuwa area
of Sri Lanka. Therefore, some believe that King Mahasena, who built Kiri Vehera in
Kataragama later came to be worshiped asGod Kataragama.
Till
today the indigenous Vedda people come to venerate at the temple
complex from their forest abodes. As a link to the Vedda past, the temple holds
its annual festival that celebrates the God's courtship and marriage to a Vedda princess in July to August.
Kataragama Deviya
Kataragama deviyo (
also called: Skanda Kumara, Kartikeya, Sinhala: කතරගම
දෙවියෝ) is a guardian deity of Buddhasasana and of Sri Lanka. A major temple
dedicated to God Kataragama is situated in the town of Kataragama, Sri Lanka. He is
identified with Skanda of the Hindu tradition and as Murugan by the Tamils of Sri Lanka and India.
There is an identical guardian deity of Buddhism, known as Skanda in the Chinese Mahayana Buddhism. Theosophists identify Kataragama deviyo as Sanat Kumara, the Lord or
Regent of Earth and of humanity.
Transpots
Most of the many thousands who
visit Kataragama travel by vehicles. Even today, despite the lure of modern
transport, hundreds of dedicated pilgrims stick to the ancient practice of
journeying to Kataragama on foot.
In 1992,
it was proposed to extend the railway from Matara to
Kataragama and beyond. The Kataragama railway extension is being constructed
under a three-phase accelerated development program. The first phase has begun
and will consist of the 27 km stretch from Matara to Beliattacosting
60 million rupees; construction has already commenced on the bridge over the Nilwala River by the State Engineering Corporation.
The entire project is expected to take six years to complete and will cost
around 3 billion rupees. The project is funded by the Chinese government and it
is expected to be completed by 2015.
Kataragama - Colombo road
Elephant in Kataragama
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