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| Sunday, 29 February 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Lighting up Adam's Peak : An act of supreme devotion by Sumana Saparamadu Now is the height of the Sri Pada pilgrim season from the full-moon of Navam (February) to the full-moon of Medin (March) and about a fortnight thereafter. The climate around the peak is at its best - no rain, no strong winds, a cloudless sky, warm by day and cold at night.
From time immemorial pilgrims have climbed the holy mountain by torch light each pilgrim carrying a crude home-made torch of strips of cloth yards of it wound round a hardy stick and dipped in oil before lighting. When the pilgrim was a man of station and of wealth the torch was carried in front by a lackey, from which has come the saying pandan allanawa' holding torches, and by extension of meaning to fawn upon, to today and pandan kaaraya a torch bearer, a hanger on, a sycophant. In later times, after the opening up of the plantations, pilgrims climbed by the light of lanterns (lunterum) or hurricane lamps which were readily available at any store in any small town. A friend recalls going up the mountain by the light of a hurricane lamp in 1944, the lantern carried by a servant walking ahead. All that is now part of history. The Pandan and the hurrican lamp are into limbo. The lighting up of Sri Pada on October 3 1950 was the fulfilment of a vow made to Saman Deviyo. The guardian god of the holy mountain, whose help was invoked to expedite and complete the Laxapana hydro-electrical scheme which begun in the 1920s, and was stalling every so often. However, this was not the first time that the shrine on the peak and the area around were lit by electricity. Sixteen years earlier a group of energetic devotees of Saman Deviyo had by their own efforts provided lights to the last lap of the climb and the precincts of the shrine. There sill may be a few pilgrims who remember the time when only the stretch between Maha Giri Dambaya and the shrine was lit. Hardly anyone knows how and when this was done, for it was the work of a few 'nobodys', devotees of Saman Deviyo, who were bent on serving the pilgrims and gaining merit and not on publicity as it so often happens. But for an article in the Silumina and the Budusarana no one would have known this story of the lighting of the pilgrims path for the first time - marking a milestone in the long annals of Samanta Koota or Sri Pada Kanda - the peak with the holy footprint. I shall recount that story as told by Dr. K.M. Vitharan of the University of Colombo (Silumina January 5 2003). Way back in 1930 a young couple Mawarala Vitharanage Eliyas Appuhamy and his wife went on a pilgrimage to Sri Pada with their eighteen month infant daughter. Being first timers, they had invited Wannaku Guruge Saranelis to accompany them as their guide 'naday gura'. At Seetha Gangula, they like all other pilgrims washed themselves and rested awhile before commencing the climb. Shortly after the starting the climb, the father noticed that the child was running a temperature and he told the guide. "You all proceed I will stay here with the child until you return." The guide warned him. "This is Deva Adaviya the God's domain. It is unlucky to give-up the journey. I'll see that the child's temperature comes down." Giving that assurance he invoked the help of God Saman to complete the climb, make their devotions and return without any mishap and he tied a silver coin - ridee pandura on the infant's arm as a token of the vow. In a short while the child's temperature came down and the party continued their climb happily. When they reached the shrine it was dark. Eliyas Appuhamy who had carried the child all the way up, was tired. He put his foot on a pile of gunny bags and rested the child on his thigh. In a trice the pile began to stir, and he heard a voice from inside the gunny bags say in Tamil, Ennah Aiyya (What Sir), Eliyas Appuhamy was taken aback. He realised he had stepped on a man, who to escape the biting cold had huddled inside gunny bags. He apologised but he was sad and perturbed by the thought, "In this sacred area I have though unwittingly stepped on another human being mistaking him for a pile of gunny bags." The mistake he realised was due to the darkness around them. Then and there he made resolved to light up the shrine and the area around. Their devotions over, as the party was coming down, Eliyas Appuhamy told the guide, Saranelis Appuhamy of his resolve. The guide silenced him: "This isn't the time or place to discuss such things. Wait till we get home." Back home in Wellawatte Colombo, Eliyas Appuhamy and Saranelis Appuhamy told a few friends of their wish and plan to light up the Sri Pada "Maluwa". It was a gigantic project but Eliyas Appuhamy was confident it could be done. He enthused friends, relations and acquaintances to make his dream a reality. By 1933 Eliyas Appuhamy was able to muster enough supporters to form a society. The inaugural meeting of the society was held on March 26. 1933 on the green at the end of Peterson Lane, Wellawatte. A pandol was erected at the entrance to Peterson Lane and on it in large letters was a verse welcoming the guests and conveying succinctly the purpose of the meeting. Many distinguished Buddhists must have been invited to this inaugural meeting. As those assembled were waiting for the meeting to commence, Eliyas Appuhamy's wife saw a white light moving slowly up above in the sky and she had exclaimed 'Saman Devioth Avith Even God Saman has come. (White is the colour associated with Saman Deviyo as red is with Kataragama Deviyo). The crowd looked up and at once cries of Sadhu Sadhu filled the air. As the crowd looked on the light floated slowly until it was covered by a coconut tree and then disappeared. The society inaugurated that day was named Samanta Koota Viduli Pahan Aloka Sahodara Samitiya (The Brotherhood for the lighting up of Samanta Koota). The eminent lawyer H. Sri Nissanka was elected President and Eliyas Appuhamy and Saranelis Appuhamy treasurer and secretary of the society. The main aim and objective of the society as its name indicated was providing electric lights to the Sri Pada Maluwa and the area around, and for this purpose the society started collecting funds. Three pictures on Buddhist themes were printed and sold to raise funds. How simple fund-raising was then! One picture was by the famous artist. M. Saralis which showed God Saman and his retinue offering flowers to the footprint Sri Paada. Eliyas Appuhamy's son had the original painting and it was reproduced on the cover of Budusarana of 27.12.2002. Mr. Saralis seems to have based his painting on a verse in the Selalihini Sandesaya. As funds were being collected, a newspaper advertisement caught the society's eye. Walker and Co., were selling a 5 h.p. dynamo. This dynamo seemed adequate for their purpose and the society decided to purchase it for the quoted price of Rs. 1,500. But the society did not have this amount of money. So Eliyas Appuhamy mortgaged his bus, the main source of his family's income and Saranelis Appuhamy pocketed out the balance. The society had a function to display their new acquisition - the dynamo that would supply electricity to the shrine on Samanta Koota - the shrine a top the holy mountain. It is on record that those who graced the occasion were Mudaliyar D.P.A. Wijewardene of Sedawatte, Mr. A.E. Goonasinha, Mr. C.W.W. Kannangara and Mr. G.J. de Silva. They must have given a donation each. The dynamo was taken by cart in a procession to Kegalle and from there in the bus belonging to Eliyas Appuhamy's brother Jamis Appuhamy to Nallatanniya at the foot of the holy mountain. Records state that Aranolis Mudalali of Gaetenne had also assisted them. Was it financially? Ganetenna is a village between Mawanella and the Kadugannawa pass. Now began the most difficult part of the transportation. An elephant was engaged for this purpose. The dynamo was hung round the elephant's neck and he walked gingerly up the pilgrims path. At one stage Eliyas Appuhamy noticed that the elephant was walking with difficulty. On examination he found the dynamo hitting the elephant's leg as it walked. They soon adjusted the dynamo so as not to impede the animal's step and as soon as this was done the elephant's eyes were wet with tears. Relieved, the elephant continued the climb without any discomfort. The room in which the dynamo was fixed was there up to the time Dr. Vitharana's account appeared in the Silumina it must surely be there even today a little below the 'Maluwa'. D.T. Devendra writing to the Times in 1941 had referred to the power house. Fixing the dynamo planting the posts to carry the wire the wiring and all other work was carried out under the supervision of Mr. Ferguson a Burgher engineer, by Eliyas Appuhamy, Saranelis Appuhamy and R.E. Wijesekera owner of Vijaya Stores Kollupitiya. All work was completed by mid February and on Navam Full Moon Poya day which fell on February 28 that year (1934) exactly 70 years ago Sam Elapatha Disawa the lay Trustee of Sri Pada switched on the lights around 6 pm and joyous cries of Sadhu Sadhu reverbrated from the throng of pilgrims. Now for the first time the shrine and the surrounding area were bathed in light and it was possible to do the last lap of the climb from Maha Giri Dambaya to the shrine without the aid of torches and hurricane lamps. People said that the lights could be seen as far as Hatton. Switching on the lights was the culmination of the society's efforts. Their objective had been achieved but their work was not over and the society did not wind up when Mr. Sri Nissanka stepped down. Mr. Wickramasinghe the founder of Sri Waisakha College Wellawatte, became president and he was followed by C.T. Gunawardana an engineer at Commercial Co. Another member who was of great assistance was Warnakulasuriya, proprietor of Ariya Sinhala Stores Wellawatte. For 16 years until the State tookover the lighting of the pilgrim path one or two members of the society went up to the peak to work the dynamo and stayed on until the season ended. What the members of the Brotherhood - the Sahodara Samitiya - did was an act of supreme devotion to the Buddha and to God Saman and of dedication to a cause, taking in turn the responsibility of working the dynamo, keeping it in ship shape, living roughly in a shed in the intense cold on a vegetarian diet, so as not to offend the gods, coming down daily to get their provisions and for their ablutions at Seetha Gangula. To have done this for sixteen years is a tremendous achievement and sacrifice. It is a story that should be told and retold. No plaque no inscription records the valiant effort and a determination and commitment of a few men not men of affluence or position, but small time business men. What they achieved is a testimony to the old adage 'where there is a will thee is a way.' Postscript: Since writing this I have discovered that Dr. K.M. Vitharana writer of the above mentioned article in the Silumina is Kanthi, third daughter of Eliyas Appuhamy who is a lecturer in the Department of Geography, University of Colombo. The infant Eliyas Appuhamy carried up the mountain on that historic pilgrimage turned out to be a scholar ending up as a university professor Dr. Lily de Silva Professor of Pali, University of Peradeniya. |
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As the Medin (March) moon wanes the crowd of pilgrims begins to thin
out and though the pilgrim season officially ends only at Vesak few make
the pilgrimage after Bak (April) when the Bak Maha Akunu(the claps of
thunder and lightening heralding the inter-monsoon rains) begin.
