New look Vesak pandols at Gangarama

By Prof. Chandima WIJEBANDARA

Pandols of various type (toranas as they are better known) have impressed and enthralled many generations of people. The habit of erecting pandols to celebrate and glorify great events and also to respect people of eminence has been continued in the Eastern world from time immemorial. History and legend reveal that pandols were eloquently expressive of joy, honour and affluence.

Kalasoori Jayasiri Semage stands beside one of his creations

When the Buddha Deepankara arrived at Rammagama the people there had erected beautiful pandols as a mark of respect to the Buddha. During the carnival at the city of Udeni people had erected pandols at almost every house.

Sanchi example of Buddhist stone toranas with fine sculptures that are communcationally powerful and educationally effective. Moreover, the Selalihini Sandesaya tells us how the Sri Lankan people in the Sri Jayewardeneprua period had beautified their city with magnificent pandols.

With the introduction of electricity we have invented a new culture of erecting huge pandols for celebrating Vesak with colourful pictures and multicoloured lights.

Year by year the number of electricity bulbs and the size of the pandols increased.

However, there was an unfortunate recession to the healthy practice during terrorism, but now that we have regained peace and harmony, thanks to the unparalleled leadership of UPFA Government and uniquely brave commitment of the Army, there is a revival of the custom.

Large pandols remind Buddhists of the greatness of the Buddha and they educate the viewers on morals to live by pandols are the main attraction of Vesak festival.

Structure

However, there seems to be a growing monotony in structure and overwhelming domination by electronics. The important role of the pictorial art is being diminished with dazzling performance of millions of electric bulbs and the limited innovativeness in structure.

It is true that a Jataka story is pictorially represented in every pandol; yet the size of the halo round and the magic of illuminations that occupy more space than the pictures that tell the story have become a disturbing factor subduing educational and aesthetic spirit which should be prominent in a good Vesak torana.

"It is time we introduce some change to this monotonous form", says Kalasooriy Jayasiri Semage, Sri Lanka's most gifted and experienced torana artist.

He has been practising in the field for more than three decades and has been observant, with his colleagues, of course, the way the torana art has been stagnating with no significant change from the usual arrangement of fixing rows of picture frames pyramidically one over the other on a bamboo structure.

"We can get much inspiration from our classical ancestors in art who created unusually rich motifs such as archways, frontispieces and various other aesthetically eloquent designs", he said.

We have witnessed Jayasiri Semage very often involving in creating many Vesak toranas and other Buddhist decorative art objects.

The giant Buddhist pandol that carried his paintings at the international exhibition held in Fukuoka (Japan) in the 1990s was so popular that it was on display for six months.

The Borobudur Statue created at the Singapore Buddhist Library is also a creation of Semage. Even though we have often seen him mainly involving in creating Buddhist decorate art and creating Vesak toranas, he has experience undertaking the challenging situations beyond religious themes.

For instance, from 1980 he erected Gam Udava pandols. And even at Mahapola exhibitions the spectators were welcomed by his beautiful pandols which symbolically presented the philosophy of the program.

All these stand to prove that he commenced his journey to the world of aesthetics from his school days has achieved insight and mastery in his chosen field, more than sufficient to be a powerful innovator.

State festivals

Convinced that Jayasiri can translate a powerful message into dots, lines and shapes that penetrate the heart of the man in the street, the Government of Sri Lanka continues to engage him in the important mission of creating pandols and such other decorative art pieces at State festivals, exhibitions and religious events.

Thus, for instance, he is continuously engaged for decorating internationally famous Expo exhibition pavilions with traditional dragon pandols and accompanying stylised floral-faunal motifs etc.

Translating the concept of President Mahinda Rajapaksa into the language of pictorial art a pandol depicting Dasa Raja Dhamma (tenfold political principles of a righteous king) was created by Semage.

Moreover, he was also chosen by the Government to paint the walls of Sri lanka Buddhist Vihara at Lumbini, Nepal.

Ten Vesak season will provide us with two opportunities to witness how Jayasiri Semage will revolutionise the culture of making pandols. One of those will be at the Gangarama in Colombo. Semage will bring the story of Janapada Kalyani into life in the unusual torana he is erecting at Gangarama.

Taking inspiration from the vibrant vision of Most Ven. Galaboda Gnanissara Podihamuduruvo of Gangarama he will give a new shape and life to this beautiful Buddhist story. And for his people at Ambalangoda he will achieve another feat by depicting the story of Magandi.

It will be financed by the Eksath Velanda Sangamaya of Ambalangoda. Both pandols will be refreshingly new experiences to the viewers of Buddhist Pandols at this Vesak season.

Visit Gangarama in Colombo and city esplanade, Ambalangoda to see how traditional Sinhala Buddhist art celebrates a new lease of life given by Semage.

The writer is resident Professor of Buddhist Studies, BRS/BL Graduate School, Singapore.