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| Sunday, 6 July 2003 |
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Reef Sel lipi by Gotabhaya 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 has come to the notice of the Maha Wasala that the village of Seenigama (wherein dwells the god Dhevol) is becoming overcome by the sea. In the days of yore, it was possible to walk on dry land to the shrine of the pepper-grinding-stone (which is the stone boat on which the seven Dhevol gods came to this island) on dry land, whereas now the path has been washed away and inundated by Manimekhala, the sea goddess. Now it is reported that the road from Colomb-thota to Gaalle, which runs through the sacred village of Seenigama, is becoming like a causeway there, with sea water on either side of it. It seems that the reef of boulders, complete with lom-kambili carpet, placed with the aid of Parangi pundits in the seas in front of the five villages of Seenigama thirteen years ago, has now got large gaps in it. The waves pass through these gaps, and onto and across the road, so that the village of Pereliya is threatened. The road itself has to be cleared of sand obstructions, using magical earth-moving rathas and of sea water. The original cause of this sea damage, which was the reason for the boulder reef to be put there in the first place, was the gaps that had developed in the coral reef. The gaps had developed in the coral reef because certain citizens including, it is said, a prominent gammulaadhaeniya from the area, had been mining the coral and burning it to make lime (and indeed continue to do so). The retribution of the goddess Manimekhala comes, it is said, as vengeance for this destruction of her boundaries. Further north, the dwellers on the coastline of this Dhammadweepa do not mine the coral, or so the Maha Wasala is informed. It appears that in one area, near Puttalama, there is just one person burning coral, and no evidence is to be found that this person mines the reef. It is rumoured, however, that he gives nets to the maadhael fishers, which tend to catch dead coral; the fishers then give him the pieces of coral in exchange for the largesse of the donor. Be that as it may, one sees no great erosion of the bounds of Manimekhala's empire to the North of Colomb-thota. One might surmise from this that the denizens are more wary of damaging the reef than their neighbours to the South. However, some may query how it is that the boulder reef, placed with such calculation by the Parangi pundits and with care by the indigenous workers, could be damaged so soon after its construction. Was the calculus of the pundits awry, or was it the eye of the local labourers? Perhaps the material of the lom-kambili was of inferior quality? Alas, it seems that the answer is much simpler. Those gahapathis who employ the coral miners are in fact involved in the building trade, which buys the largest share of the lime. It is only a short step from lime for walls to stone for foundations. Clearly, the boulders of artificial reef are being removed by the miners in order to provide building material. So it seems that Dhevol will continue to receive the ire of Manimekhala, as long as people continue to plunder the natural treasure of the coastline of this resplendent isle. Swasthi Shree! This rock edict is made on the day of Ravi of the month of Esala of the year of the Saka Era 1930. |
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