1998 attack on Sri Dalada Maligawa:

Terror most brutal

By Ranil Wijayapala

The year 1998 was an important landmark for all Sri Lankans as the nation was preparing to celebrate its Golden Jubilee of Independence with much grandeur.

Kandy, the last kingdom to fall under the British colonialists was selected as the venue for the grand event and Prince Charles, the heir to the throne of Great Britain, was invited as the chief guest of the grand event.

However, it was a time when the nation was at another crossroads, of its fight for liberation from the cancerous menace of terrorism and the Government Forces were fighting relentlessly with the LTTE terror outfit in the North and Eastern parts of the country.

The terrorists were searching for an occasion to make irreparable damage to the nation, to put national security at risk and show their 'strength' to the world.

The nation was awaiting the grand moment of celebrating the Independence Jubilee, but at the same time, all Sri Lankans were in constant fear about a terror attack on a place of vital importance to the nation. Never in their wildest dreams did they think that the Sri Dalada Maligawa, the most precious inheritance of the nation and one of the most sacred places for the Buddhist community all over the world, would be the target of these ruthless terrorists.

However, the LTTE proved on January 25, 1998 that they were not human beings, but inhuman brutes, by waking the entire nation on that fateful Sunday morning with the shocking news about the terror attack on the Sri Dalada Maligawa.

They had used the most vicious method to hurt a nation, with clear intentions of fanning the flames of communal violence in the country, as it was an event for which any community would react emotionally and not rationally. Not only Sri Lankans, but the entire world was shocked upon hearing the news that was carried around the world by global news agencies in their headlines stories, the attack on the sacred Temple of the Tooth and the UNESCO World Heritage site.

Ritual in progress

The Tiger suicide truck moved towards the entrance of the Temple of the Tooth, breaking all the barriers, to unleash terror on this historic site, which was protected by the Security Forces and the Police.

The truck bomb was triggered at 6.10am when the morning Thevawa, the daily ritual related to the Sacred Tooth Relics was in progress.

The truck, laden with some 200 kilograms of explosives and under the control of five Tiger suicide cadre, did what others dare not for several centuries, leaving 17 dead and 20 injured and causing immense damage to this place which holds much religious and cultural value.

Many devotees who paid homage to the Dalada Maligawa in the early morning as an important part of their pilgrimage were wounded in the attack. Stones from sections of the brick wall, the Diyareli Bemma (the wall releasing the wave swell from the water filling the moat), with holes created to bear oil lamps, flew into the sky and scattered over several hundred metres.

Ahead of the Sandakada Pahana (Moonstone), where the truck was parked, lay a nearly five by five metre crater. It was almost one and a half metres deep.

Tiles on the Maligawa roof including the Pattirippuwa and walls in many sections were damaged in the attack.

However, the inner chambers were miraculously saved. It is the belief of most Buddhists that no force in the world can harm the Sacred Tooth Relic.

This was probably the first time in contemporary world history that a sacred shrine of such international religious significance and a World Heritage Site was deliberately targeted by a terrorist group in an attempt to bring about its destruction.

The United Nations condemned the outrage the day following the incident. The spokesman on behalf of the then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, stated on January 26, 1998, “The Secretary-General of the UN has learnt, with outrage, of the news of a bomb attack on a major Buddhist shrine in Kandy, Sri Lanka and the resulting loss of life and destruction.

"As he has done on many occasions, the Secretary-General strongly condemns the use of terror tactics in all circumstances. He deplores attempts to divide human beings on religious and ethnic grounds.”

Reaction to tragedy

UNESCO Director General Federico Mayor's reaction to this tragedy was also noteworthy.

He said, “I am deeply shocked by this act of blind violence, perpetrated against a place of meditation, joy and peace. All religions are based on love and respect for life.

“Attacking a holy place means striking the very best in humanity, undermining its innocence and purity. Those who attack people through their faith can only be condemned.

"Religious differences can absolutely not be justification for conflict, and places of worship should in no case be used as targets.”

The enormity of the damage done to this national treasure of immeasurable value became clearer as each day passed since the fateful Sunday. However, the entire nation acted patiently and the then President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and Deputy Defence Minister Anurudda Ratwatte took precautionary measures to curb any communal violence in the country without falling into the trap laid by the LTTE. The situation prompted the Government to shift the venue of the Golden Jubilee celebrations from Kandy to Colombo and carry out the restoration of this historic site, damaged by the attack, in the most professional way by protecting its historic values.

However, many Buddhists firmly believed that the LTTE, which perpetrated this crime against the Buddhist icon in the world, will never have a future and they will face karmic law one day.

Today, 16 years after that unfortunate incident, the international community can observe how the karmic law has been carried out on the ruthless terror outfit and the way they were punished for the terror acts they perpetrated without an iota of feeling towards religious sentiments.

Therefore, sections of the international community who point fingers at the Sri Lankan Government for acting against such a ruthless terror outfit must think twice about whether the Government has done something wrong by acting against such brutal acts in a legitimate way, thus protecting international heritage sites by eliminating such terror outfits from the globe.