Example of religious, communal amity:

Hindu couple donates land for Buddhist temple

By Jaliya WIJEYEKOON

Mr and Mrs Veerappa conducted in a procession to the venue by the dayakayas of the Siri Sugatharamaya temple
View from the main road	The chief priest Ven. Matale Siri Sugatha Thera explaining a point to Veerappa
Veerappa family climbing the first set of steps from the main road	Veerappa family being blessed by the chief priest
Veerappa family at the felicitation ceremony	Chief Priest constructing a retaining wall
chief priest drawing a wall hanger	Dhamma school students with the chief priest and teachers

It is an attractive and serene place of worship, situated in the ancient Seethawaka Kindom. It is on a high elevation adjoining Puwakpitiya railway station and beside the Colombo-Ratnapura main highway.

Although this temple is patronised by thousands of devotees, it has a short history running back only 25 years. It was in 1985, that a young priest named Ven. Matale Siri Sugatha Thera residing at the Vidya Sunwardhana Temple of Puwakpitiya, was looking for a piece of land to set up a temple. The hilltop with a panoramic view and scenic beauty above the railway station captured the attention of this young bhikku and he managed to meet the owner of this land through an acquaintance.

The owner of the land was one Veerappa, a Tamil Hindu gentleman who had been badly victimised during the July riots of 1983. During this darkest period in Sri Lanka's recent history, Veerappa lost all his possessions and had to leave the area and live permanently in Colombo.

Gentleman of rare calibre

When the request for the land was made by the young Sinhala Bhikkhu, Venerable Matale Siri Sugatha Thera, just two years after the bitter experience of 1983, this gentleman with a different religion and ethnic origin never hesitated, even for a while, but readily donated this piece of land extending to an almost an acre to the Venerable Thera by a gift of deed.

This genuine gesture of Veerappa amply proved the degree of commitment, respect and love that he had towards Buddhism and his countrymen, irrespective of any differences such as religion, race, caste, creed or nationality. It is even more appreciated by the grateful public of the area and the surrounding villages as this meritorious act was executed during the commencement of the conflict in our country which finally aggravated to a ruthless war and a national disaster. Veerappa showed the country that except for a tiny percentage in each community, the majority of the people respected each others values, beliefs, cultures and civilizations.

After his donation, with the passage of time, there emerged the Siri Sugatharama Temple, turning the said land to a sacred place open to all devotees. This temple still receive the blessings of Veerappa in its development activities.

This noble person, together with his family members, continue to participate at special religious functions organised by the temple. The chief priest of the temple never forgets to invoke blessings on this gentleman and his family at every meritorious act conducted at the temple.

By now Siri Sugatharamaya has become a picturesque and a sacred place of worship with an atmosphere of complete serenity pervading the area. It has become a centre for religious advancement and national integration. It performs a great service to the area including the promotion of religious and moral values in young people. All these have become possible due to the integrity and nobility of Veerappa and family.

Chief incumbent

The chief priest, Matale Siri Sugatha Thera is an eternally committed person with a great vision and a person with a multitude of skills. He designed the buildings himself and carried out the construction with financial assistance from the regular dayakayas and visiting devotees. Since this plot of land is hilly and uneven, he designed the essential segments of the temple on four layers or stages.

The main shrine room, the main hall and the abode for Bhikkhu is on the first level which is accessible through a beautifully constructed set of 34 steps. It is enclosed by a majestic parapet wall of elephantine images, with a Makara Thorana on top of the steps.

The second layer of the premises consists of two Samadhi Buddha statues with an attractive canopy and a Cetiya being constructed by its side. It is accessible through another set of neatly constructed steps from the first level of the temple. The third level is about 100 feet above the second stage and a shrine room and the Dhamma school building is to be built on it. It is accessible through another set of steps and a beautiful Wahalkada. The fourth level or the topmost stage of the temple hugs the sky with the Bo tree and Bo Maluwa enclosed by the Walakulu Bamma, and accessible through a long set of steps.

Solid walls are constructed around all four stages of this temple premises and it is surprising to see how this religious place has been developed to this extent during a short period of 25 years. The chief priest Ven. Siri Sugatha thera has personally handled all these construction work while the labour was provided by dayakayas.

All Buddhist religious activities are conducted in this temple with the able support and contribution of its dayakayas. The most important feature is the famous daham school where hundreds of small children receive dhamma education. A large number of students who attended this school have already got through public examinations in dhamma.

On poya days the temple is busy as a beehive with various activities taking place from early morning until midnight or sometimes even till the following morning with devotees observing Atasil. Dhamma orations from visiting bhikkus, dhamma discussions, Bodhi Poojas, and similar activities are regularly conducted on poya days at this temple.

The secret behind the success of this place of worship is the sheer commitment and dedication of the chief priest and his disciples to the cause of Buddhism, peace, harmony and national integration.

Felicitation

On completion of a quarter century of its establishment the chief priest decided to organise a grand felicitation ceremony for the former owners of this land, Mr. and Mrs. Veerappa. the idea was submitted to his dayaka sabha and was unanimously approved.

Lengthy and elaborate arrangements were made to honour this couple by the priest and the entire membership of the dayaka sabha.

The felicitation ceremony was held on the Esala Fullmoon poya day on a grand scale. The Veerappa couple were led to the temple in a procession with the participation of all Nayake Theras of other temples in the area, a large number of bhikkus, other religious dignitaries, politicians of the area, government officials, a large number of schoolchildren and devotees of the temple. All those who addressed the gathering appreciated the generosity of the Veerappa couple and extended their fullest gratitude to them for their invaluable contribution to the area.

At the end of the felicitation ceremony, a Bodhi Pooja was conducted by the Chief Priest, Ven. Siri Sugatha Thera to invoke blessings on the Veerappa family.