Creating a pandal, then and now

By Amal Hewavissenti

The "Thorana" (Pandal) depicting various Buddhist themes and events is the most prominent attraction among things that characterise almost all Vesak zones in the island. However, the art of erecting pandals reflects the inventive creativity of Sri Lankans in their celebration of birth, Buddhahood and the "Parinirvana" (demise) of the Buddha.

During the Vesak season, pandals engage everybody's attention and inspiration solely because of their impressive set up.

Even though a pandal appears to involve arranging colourful bulbs to illuminate a series of paintings, the work of creating a perfect pandal is tremendously difficult.

Thousands of arecanut trunks (poles) are required to make up the structure of Thorana. Every function in the erecting of the pandal possesses astrological basis and is endorsed by bhikkhus by means of formal pirith chanting. For instance, planting poles, installing bulbs, fixing the Buddha statue and paintings and uncovering the face of the statue are all carried out at the astrologically auspicious time amidst chanting of pirith.

Unity and creativity

The pandal incorporates unity with creativity. Both elders and youth are well prepared to shoulder the responsibilities in the production of a pandal with maximus creativity. The artists of the particular village or city produce the best possible paintings, script and devotional music with a unique style of their own.

The first ever Vesak pandal to have been erected in the country is the "Thotalanga Thorana" which had the most basic features in the initial stages. The Thotalanga Thorana that was launched in 1955 depicted Maha Badrakalpa Jataka and was an impressive marvel for the young and old. The pandal was made with 12 metres of cloth and a limited number of paintings and bulbs. People who enjoyed the pandal donated one or two cents for the future work.

Back in the 1990s, the construction of a Thorana was as complex as building a new house and such pandals had remained for public show until the Poson season.

Script writing

The script writer of an impressive Thorana possesses a paramount value as the person who graphically and attractively puts across the fundamental ideals of the pandal. It is he who presents a religious story profusely scattered with devotional music and poetry that essentially touch the hearts of the viewers. Therefore, a good scriptwriter should be adequately versed in Buddhism and Buddhist literature to impress what is generally expected to be good on viewers of a pandal.

Mervyn Senarathne is a veteran scriptwriter and a composer of devotional songs for pandals for around 50 years. It appears fair to conclude that there is none with the similar potential to take over his career as an experienced writer of stories and a lyricist.

Mervyn Senarathne shot to widespread fame during the 1960s when he embarked on writing stories and composing devotional music for Vesak pandals as a radio artiste.

The salient feature of his work for pandals is his preference to use spoken language in the story together with poems, dialogues, "Viridu" and stanzas which in turn appeal to the viewer.

Thus, Mervyn Senarathna has practically transformed the pandal into an "audio-visual medium of entertainment," He said, "It got the first request to write a script for a Vesak pandal in 1961.

The pandal had been erected at IDH Gothatuwa and my first script was based on a Jataka tale which the Thorana depicted. The pandal became immensely popular and thereafter I got numerous requests to write scripts and poems for the pandals.

"As I was closely associated with the SLBC, I succeeded in getting the support from radio artistes such as Chandra Kaluarachchi, Victor Migel, Wijerathne Warakagoda, Sanath Nandasiri and so forth.

The public response to these pandals was huge because of the popularity of the radio artistes.

Landmark figure

"I use a language which is pleasingly simple and I currently get the support from veteran musicians and singers. The total appeal of the Thorana simply depends on the quality of music, the style and the voice of the singers and the paintings in its fundamental nature..."

Jayasiri Semage, another landmark figure in the traditional school of painting and the art of creating pandals merits the credit of transferring the art of Sri Lankan pandals to the international scene. He is still active and dynamic in the creation of paintings for pandals.

Accordingly as he claims, the use of Buddhist stories can produce masterpieces of pandals and designs from stone carvings of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa could be used to give the basic shape for the pandal which in turn develops the appearance of majesty and dignity.

But everything changes. In this digital era, creating a pandal does not at all require hard work and time consuming plans as it did during the past decades. With the marvels of modern technology, erecting a pandal and illuminating it take up a comparatively shorter time.

A team of young men who are well versed in computer technology may fix circuits and bulbs in the course of few days. The task of fixing bulbs and circuits which earlier had been a difficult task for the most expert electrician is a challenge for the new generation.

Two days' time is adequate for designing everything including setting electric circuits and bulbs and computer may decide everything.

In the age of graphic art, a painting drawn by the computer may be enlarged to any size and fears of artists losing their profession in the face of digital era of pandals looms large.