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| Sunday, 20 October 2002 |
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Sel Lipi : Mruga Rathri Swasthi Shree! Thus says his sacred Majesty, the gracious Great King, glorious Chakravarthi, King of the Kings of Maya, Pihiti and Ruhuna, Mahoora of the Vanniala-aeththo and ruler of all lands from Yapapatuna to Sampanthota: It is said that the god Ananga (who has his shrine in Telwatte, near the birthplace of the poet Thotagamuwe Rahula) shoots his flower arrows at people to induce in them the greatest passion and sensuality. Our neighbouring mahadveepa of Dambadiva has been the source of much knowledge on his wiles: from there came the great books on the arts of love, the Kama Sutra and the Perfumed Garden. From there, too, came the dance of the Bharathas, a combination of sensuous steps and mesmerising mudras, a dance of seduction to the rhythm of the music of the Carnatic. And seduction has been a royal sport indeed, its notable adherents having been Kasyapa of Sigiriya and Parakramabahu the Great. However, it appears that, over the past several years, the 'aged youth', the jaded scions of situvara families, have been gathering together to witness arangetram of a different kind. These former golayas of the far-famed Taxilas of this sublime realm assemble in certain halls to witness the dances of the Mruga Rathri, a form of obeisance to Ananga. It is said that these arangetram are performed - to the music of veenas, sitars and tom-toms - by young women, servants of Ananga. These Mruga Rathri are intended to be annual acts of the renewal of bonds, forms of worship restricted to males - with the exception of the dancers themselves. These rites, it should be noted, are not those of Dambadiva, but come to us from the civilisation of the Parangis. The dancers disrobe themselves ritually, in the manner of the dancers of the ancient Yonaka goddess Astarte (or Ashtoreth, as she is known in the sacred book of the Khraistavas). It has come to the notice of the Maha Vasala that there has been much song and dance in this resplendent land about one such annual rite. It seems that the dancers had imitated the dances of the women of a certain island of the Yavanas (or Greeks, as they are known to the Parangis), entwined with each other like nagas entranced by a snake-charmer's music (those of the Yavana island are famed for entwining one with another in the same manner). It seems that one of the minstrels playing the part of a snake charmer had dallied with the dancers and caressed their curves and, having fallen into a mystic trance, had been disrobed. The audience of jaded situvaras had performed the anamisalochana pooja, staring unblinkingly at this ritual ballet or 'bali'. Now it seems that shouts of dismay have been raised from among the self-same situvara families from which are drawn these devotees of Ananga. The proclamation tom-toms have announced that this act of worship has been unworthy of the culture and civilisation of this Dharmadveepa and that inquiries are being instituted as to how it came about that these Parangi practices have taken root in the soil of this realm. More inquiries should be made. Is it not true that these situvaras perform anamisalochana pooja, in the privacy of there own homes, to the same Yavana rites played out on the sacred ribbons and discs of the bahubootha pettiya? Is it not true that these jaded situvaras have been observing these rituals for many years now? And is it not true that these are minor infringements indeed, compared to what may be observed on the very streets of Colomb-thota every night? Swasthi Shree! This rock edict is made on this day of Ravi of the month of Wap of the Year of the Saka Era 1929. - Gotabhaya |
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