25 July 2016 12:12 am
One of these events was the conception of Prince Siddhartha Gauthama in the womb of Queen Mahamaya. Folk tales and legends record Queen Mahamaya dreaming of a white elephant entering her womb. When King Suddodhana was informed of this dream, he summoned his royal astrologers [Purohithas] to interpret it. All of them predicted the birth of a meritorious son who would rule the universe.
This was the day Prince Siddhartha Gauthama renounced his lay life to become an ascetic in search of the TRUTH OF LIFE.
Two solar months after attaining enlightenment – Vesak Full Moon Day – He preached his first sermon “ Dhammakkappavettana Sutta” [WHEEL OF TRUTH] to five ascetics. Kondangna,Wappa, Baddiya, Mahanama and Assaji at Isipathanaya, Benares. The preaching of the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path became instrumental to the Sangha for propagating Buddhism.
Twin Miracles, ‘Yamaka Maha Prathiyaharaya’ were performed, to convince the Sakkya clan who did not recognize his greatness. As the legend goes, Buddha Gauthama rose to the sky and sent out
It is on Esala Full Moon day that the Buddha Sasana was established in Sri Lanka during the reign of King Devananpiyatissa and when Arahanth Mahinda preached “Wassupanayaikkandaya” to the king and the people.
The laying of the foundation for the construction of Mahastupa – Ruwanweli Seya took place on this day.
On Esala Poya day the Theravada Buddhist Reformation of the Sangha took place at the Kandy Pushparama Maha Viharaya [Malwatte Temple] and Upasampada [Higher Ordination] to purify the Sangha, signifying the end of earthly life.
The day following Esala Poya, Buddhist monks perform“ Vass”, three solar months of annual retreat coinciding with the rainy season, during which period Buddhist monks go into deep meditation, while devotees look after their daily needs. At the end, a “KATHINA POOJA” is held where devotees offer them robes.
After having gone through many shifts, the Sacred Tooth Relic was finally enshrined at the Dalada Maligawa in Kandy, during the reign of King Wimaladharmasuriya (1592-160).
The question arises of how when conducting Peraheras [Processions] and other festivities, statues of deities such as Kataragama,Vishnu and Pattini are paraded, venerated and given pride of place in the Esala festivities.
The only explanation is that our Buddhist kings married or brought brides from India who brought with them their religion-Hinduism. In order to please their queens, the Kings included Hindu practices, rites and rituals in the festivities.
Hence would it not be fair to suggest an inclusion of Hindu deities be confined to the Esala Perahera in Kandy alone as a Kandyan custom with Kandyan dancers representing Kandyan customs and culture as a tourist attraction for both locals and foreigners.
Our Buddhist monks have emulated this practice for the sake of having Buddhist devotees offer Poojas as practiced by Hindus and placing monetary donations in the Pooja Wattiya. When fulfilling a vow, some donate gold chains or gold statues as seen at Katararagama and other Kovils. It is mainly due this reason that Buddhist temples have Devales for Hindu deities, as Buddhism does not advocate such worship to gain material benefits.
It would not be out of context to mention the historical event where King Parakramabahu, during a severe drought and famine, took the Sacred Tooth Relic out of the shrine in a procession. He had placed the Relic on the throne and having worshipped it for seven days, offered the kingdom to the Sacred Tooth Relic, which resulted in the end of the drought.
This shows the dedication, purity of mind and piety of the king. It is presumed the present practice of having a seven day Pirith chanting prior to the Perahera is the same as the king placing the Relic on his throne for seven days. However, whether the present day practice of chanting pirith before the Perahara is done with the same devotion or for show and pomp to gain recognition and favour by inviting someone influential to place the ‘Karanduwa’ on the elephant’s back, is anybody’s guess.
The late Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thera vehemently protested against Buddhist temples having Devales and never visited those that did. It can be concluded that the Dewales in Buddhist temples depicting various Hindu deities are for financial gain and of which genuine Buddhist monks do not approve.
I leave with the question as to whether Buddhists should continue to have Hindu Dewalas in temples and incorporate Hindu rites and rituals in our Buddhist culture