රුහුණේ පෙරහැර මංගල්‍යයන් ආරම්භ වෙන්නෙ තිස්සමහාරාමයෙන්… තිස්ස පෙරහැරට ගැසට් පත්‍රයක් නිකුත් කරනවා… තිස්ස මහා පෙරහැරට බිඳින්න ගමේ මිනිස්සු කැට එකතු කරනවා… කලට වෙලාවට තිස්ස පෙරහැර නොපවත්වන්න රුහුණට කරදර… තිස්ස මහා පෙරහැරේ උපත 1900 පොසොන් පොහෝ දා… 1960 ගණන්වල තිස්ස පෙරහැර කරල තියෙන්…

The Ruhuna Perahera festivities begin at the Tissamaharama…

A gazette is issued for the Tissa Perahera…

Village people collect coins to break the Tissa Perahera…

Not holding the Tissa Perahera on time is a problem for Ruhuna…

The birth of the Tissa Perahera was on the Poson Poya day of 1900…

In the 1960s, the Tissa Perahera was organized by the ‘Dawasa’ newspaper…

It was on the Poson Poya day that the people, who were accustomed to playing the lucky game and worshipping trees and stones, became a generation of enlightened arahants. That was the great gift of Buddhism received from the great royal envoys of the enlightened Mahinda Thero. Therefore, the ‘Poson Poya’ day is second only to the ‘Vesak Poya day’ which commemorates the magnificent Three-fold Festival. It is true that Poson Poya is also a great day that the Buddhist people of this country celebrate with great pride.

Since the state festival on Poson Poya has been held at the sacred site of Mihintale since ancient times, the majority of the people in this country have a habit of visiting historical Buddhist shrines such as Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa during Poson Poya. It is also true that the majority of Buddhist devotees in the southern province have a habit of visiting Sithulpawwa and Kirivehera in Ruhuna during the Poson Poya holiday, receiving the blessings of the Kataragama deity, and watching the Tissamaharama Perahera on the night of Poson. It is also true that the Anuradhapura and Ruhunu Magam kingdoms are two distinct kingdoms of the Sinhala Buddhist dynasty in this country, which were ruled by the same royal family. Historical sources state that King Devanapatissiva, who was inspired by the Dhamma and was enlightened by Mahinda, built the ‘Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya’ and that his grandson, King Kavantissa, built the ‘Tissa Maha Viharaya’ in the Ruhuna Magam Kingdom. The blood relationship of the Inindu royal family is also clear. Accordingly, there are many historical sources that the main historical Buddhist shrine in Ruhuna is the Tissa Maha Viharaya, which is famous as one of the sixteen places where the Buddha resided.

However, after the reign of the previous king, the Ruhuna Magam Kingdom was subject to foreign invasions, famines occurred and rapidly fell into a state of decay. Tens of thousands of monks died without alms. The common people also died due to epidemic diseases and lack of food and drink, and the entire region became depopulated. The tanks and monasteries were submerged in the jungle. With time, a Buddhist renaissance was taking place in this country, and after the famine had passed, the monks and well-wishers were interested in finding the monasteries in Ruhuna. As a result, in 1835, the novice Sumana Thero of Hakmana, Wepathaira, discovered the Tissamaharama monastery. In the early days, the Thero, who had planted a sapling on a tree in the Tissa sacred ground, with indomitable courage, cleaned the Tissa monastery, which was full of thorns and raised the foundation. In 1873, Venerable Medhankara of Walpita, with the determination to revive the Tissa Maha Seya, established the Vihara Karyosadhak Samiti and started work on the Tissa monastery. With the financial support of Walker Company, a special cart was made using iron to carry the Koth Thero from Colombo to Tissamaharama, weighing several tons. Accordingly, one day in 1899, the procession of the Koth Thero was started by an elephant cart and reached Tissamaharama three months later.

On the Poson Poya day of 1900, a meritorious act was organized to place the Koth Thero at Tissa Maha Vehera, four Pirith Mandapams were set up around the temple, and a Pirith meritorious act was held for seven days. A large number of monks from the southern province had come to the Tissamaharama holy place for that meritorious act. Almshouses were created to offer alms to the monks who came for meritorious acts, and separate halls were created to receive food for the lay devotees. The Buddhist people living in Mattala and Bundala areas contributed to that meritorious service. The then British government had also issued a special gazette notification under the ‘Pilgrimage Ordinance’ to provide sanitation and water facilities for the Tissamaharama meritorious service. After the installation of the spire of the Tissa Maha Vehera at the end of the Pirith meritorious service, the devotees had marched around the Chaitya Thero that night, lighting torches, carrying flowers and chanting the Three Refuges. That torch procession is historic as the first procession held for the Tissa Maha Seya. It is also true that the tying of the casket to the Tissa Maha Vehera was the biggest meritorious service held in Ruhuna at that time. The names of all the Lords who participated in that meritorious service – villages, temples, have been recorded in a book by the Walpita Medhankara Mahimiyan. The Tissa Maha Perahera, which was started by Venerable Medhankara of Walpita, has been continuously held by the contemporary Yathivaras as a grand Amisa Pooja in conjunction with the Poson Poya festival, which is celebrated with the arrival of Mahinda. The Tissa Maha Perahera, which has grown year by year, is currently held for a month as the ‘Ruhunu Rata Maha Cultural Festival’. It is reported that even during the unfortunate times in the country, the devotees of Saddha have fulfilled their duty and responsibility and held the ‘Ruhunu Rata Maha Cultural Festival’. During the 1988-89 terror period, when it was not possible to hold the night perahera, the Tissa Maha Vihara Dayaka Sabha had taken steps to hold the perahera during the day. The residents of the area also believe that the failure to hold the Tissa Maha Perahera festival on time will bring trouble to Ruhuna.

The pioneer of the development of the Tissa Maha Perahera, which was born as a flower and torch procession on the Poson Poya day in 1900, into the ‘Ruhunu Rata Maha Cultural Festival’, is the Chief Sanghanayake of the Hambantora Province, the Chief Incumbent of the Tissamaharama Sandagiri Ubhaya Rajamaha Viharaya, the Director of the Sri Kavantissa Maha Pirivena, the Director of the Sri Kavantissa Vocational Training Center, and the Dharmakirthi Sri Dhammadinna Pannaloka Acharya Devalegama Dhammasena Nayaka Hamuduruwo. It seems that the Thero is working hard to make this year’s event a success. However, he did not hesitate to talk to us about the ‘Ruhunu Rata Maha Cultural Festival’. Below is the story of the Tissa Maha Perahera told by Acharya Devalegama Dhammasena Nayaka Hamuduruwo.

“The Tissamaharama Perahera is held as a great offering to the Lala and the Tooth Relics. Also, the Perahera festivals in Ruhuna begin with the Tissa Maha Perahera. With the conclusion of this Perahera, the Kataragama Esala Perahera begins. Since the 1900s, various institutions have sponsored the Tissa Maha Perahera. In the 1960s, the Perahera festival was fully sponsored by the Dawasa Newspaper Institute. A large number of elephants have been involved. A large number of dance groups have been invited to participate. A large number of dances unique to Ruhuna are presented in the Perahera. A large number of elephants, upcountry, lowland and Sabaragamuwa dance groups are invited to participate in every Perahera festival. At that time, there were dance groups that performed free dances in the Tissa Maha Perahera. Now everything is done on money. Unlike before, now a huge amount of money is spent on the Perahera. But that money is received without any shortage. The journey of the Tissa Maha Perahera There have been no reports of elephant-horse mating. The power of the Tissa temple is so strong…” Dr. Devalegama Dhammasena Nayaka Thero simply explained the history of the Tissamaharama annual auspicious event from the past. The Tissamaharama, Sandagiri Ubhaya Rajamaha Viharadhikari Ridigama Ananda Hamuduruwo and the Tissamaharama Maha Vihara Secretary Hon. Hewapathiranage Saman Kumara also added more or less to his speech.

The livelihood of the majority of Ruhuna is farming. It is an ancient custom for every farmer to offer the first share of his crop to the Tissa Maha Viharaya temple. A few days after the Tissa Maha Perahera ends, a night-long peace ceremony is held in front of the Tissamaharama temple and alms are offered to the gods the next morning. Mr. Channa Sepala Gunawickrama told us that there is a strong belief among the residents that the agricultural lands in the area will become fertile through this peace ceremony. A resident of the Tissamaharama area, he is a Nilamevar who travels in the Perahera. His father was also a Nilamevar who once carried the relic casket in the Tissa Maha Perahera. We also listened to his voice for a moment.

“Relatives from outlying areas come to our homes to watch the Tissa Maha Perahera during Poson Poya. It has also become a tradition since ancient times. During Poson Poya, Tissa houses are filled with relatives. It is like an avarua. Also, people in some houses in this area collect coins and break them when the Tissamaharama procession begins. They spend that money to come and watch the procession and eat kadeappan and buy decorative items. In the past, games like tug-of-war and wrestling had become special features of the Tissamaharama procession. Also, the residents of the area prepare months in advance to contribute to the Tissa procession. The residents of the area have a great devotion to the Tissamaharama procession. The residents of the area strongly believe that the annual Tissamaharama procession is a great peace ceremony for the village and the country. My father first took part in the Tissa Maha Perahera in 1972. How the perahera was organized at that time, my father I like to listen to you. The members of the Dayaka Sabha started organizing the procession months ago. First, they would go and find the elephant owners, give them betel leaves and ask for elephants. The elephant owners would say, ‘The elephants are tied in the forest. Go to those places and talk to the elephant herders…’ The elephant herders would walk for two or three days to find the places where the elephants are tied. They would sleep on rocks. The elephant herders would also walk to bring the elephants for the procession. It would take five to six days for some elephants to reach Tissamaharama. When they did, the neighbors would bring coconut branches, kithul, and banana trees to the place where the elephants were tied at night. The people of Tissamaharama would also bring food to the elephants participating in the procession. Even today, people in our villages provide food to the elephants that come to the procession. The donors of Sataraperuwa and the businessmen of Tissamaharama are contributing their utmost to make the Perahera a success. Our chief monk and his followers are making amazing efforts to make the Tissamaharama a success…”

The ‘Ruhunu Rata Maha Cultural Festival’ this time began on June 1st. From that day to the 24th, daily Dhamma sermons and Maha Bodhi Pooja were held. The Atavisi Buddha Pooja was also held from June 18th. The Sati Pirith sermon was held from June 19th to 26th. The Maha Sanghagata Dakishina will be held from June 17th to 30th. On June 25th, the Devadoota Perahera, Maha Nelum Mal Pooja, Dorakada Asna and Anushasana Asna sermon were held. The Ghee Lamp Pooja and Pandam Perahera were held on June 26th. The Tesaththe Gnan Pooja and the Sri Dalada Upahara Perahera are scheduled to be held on June 27. Arrangements have been made to hold the Sri Lalata Dhatu Upahara Perahera on the 28th. The Tissamaharama Randoli Perahera will be held on the night of June 29. The ritual water cutting ceremony will be held the next day near the Vijithapura Nugaya in Kirindi Oya and the Bodhi Pooja will be held on that night. The Shantikaram will be held on July 04 and the Ruhuna Cultural Festival will conclude with a Maha Deva Dan on July 05.

It is also noteworthy that according to the gazette issued under the ‘Pilgrimage Ordinance’ for the first Poson Perahera in the year 1900, a gazette notification was issued stating that all sanitary works and water facilities would be completed for the Tissa Maha Perahera every year with the support of the state. We were also struck by how the people gathered at the Tissamaharama Viharaya contributed their utmost to hold the ‘Ruhunu Rata Maha Cultural Festival’, which is being held with the support of the state this time as well. When I saw their dedication, I also had a strong desire to watch the final Randoli Perahera of the Tissa Maha Pinkama.

After the Tissamaharama Perahera, the Kataragama Esala Perahera…

Taranga Ratnaweera