|
|
|
  |
| Sunday, 5 June 2005 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Kandarodai in Jaffna : A treasure trove by Ranga Jayasuriya
For archaeologists seeking evidence of buddhist heritage in the Jaffna peninsula, Kandarodai (also known as Kadurugoda) is a treasure trove. But undermined by an aggressive campaign for a mono-ethnic racial identity of the peninsula, the site housing over a dozen of stupas is a taboo for historians. History of Kandarodai, also known as Buddhagama dates back to the 2 Century BC, according to Ven. Meegahayadure Gnanarathna, the chief incumbent of the Naga Viharaya, Jaffna. Over a dozen stupas made of limestone have been discovered in the archaeological site which spreads over 80 acres. A legend has it that eighty rahath monks (enlighten buddhist monks) lived in the nearby Punguduthivu islands. Once their demise, the stupas were built depositing their remains, according to the legend. Archaeologists estimate that there should be at least nearly 62 stupas in this archaeological site, many buried under the ground.
Only a faction of the stupas have so far been uncovered and archaeological excavations have been stalled since the beginning of the ethnic conflict. "These are the world's oldest structures built with limestone," says Ven. Gnanaratana Thera. "These stoopas are similar to the Sanchi (in India)". He says the archaeological findings of the site have been tested to be dating back to the 2 Century BC. When the site was discovered in 1935, it was a proof of the Buddhist civilization in the Jaffna peninsula. But the excavations in the site were hindered from time to time for varying reasons, some bureaucratic and others socio-political. Eighty acres in this remote village located about 30 minutes ride from Jaffna is reserved as an archaeological site. The greater part of the land earmarked for the site is however occupied by the villagers, but Gnanarathna thera sees an unique cohabitation between the mainly Hindu villagers and this ancient buddhist heritage. "I am heartened that these villagers have preserved this place during the turbulent times in the past," says Gnanarathna thera whose disciple now serves in a makeshift temple built in the Kandarodai archaeological site. Religious harmony may go down well with ordinary folks, but may not with the extremists on the both sides. Buddhist heritage of Kandarodai is locked in a bitter controversy as some segments view archaeological excavations of the site as means of spreading buddhist thrust in the Jaffna peninsula, thus undermining the Tamil identity. When Brigadier Parakrama Pannipitiya, commanding officer of the the 51 Division, Jaffna cited Kandarodai as a venue for the Vesak Commemorations in Jaffna, he came under what he described as "unpleasant questioning" by the Jaffna press. Evidence unearth from the ground underline that there is a buddhist
heritage site in this Jaffna soil. Tragedy is that it is overshadowed by a
bitter dual for racial supremacy. |
|
||||||||||
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
