Kataragama must definitely rank as one of the most important locations of convergence of spiritual thought, nter-religious understanding and the oneness of humanity. Early in the morning, at the 4.30 am prayers, the devotees congregate at the premises, and within the same sanctum, there are Sinhalese Hindu priests and Buddhist monks. Outside the sanctum, in adjacent temples within the same compound, there are Sri Lankan Tamil Hindu priests, Hindu monks from India, Sinhalese Muslim priests and Tamil Hindu priests from India.
Its an amazing confluence. There is an elephant that keeps going around inside the campus, amidst hundreds of devotees thronging the pathways. The elephant goes to each place, the Kataragama temple, the Ganesha temple, the Buddhist temple, the Bodhi tree, the Siddi Sunni Muslim temple and other temples adjacent. At each of these temples, the elephant offers prayers and receives blessings from the priests.
At dusk hours, the hundreds of pilgrims crowd around the elephant excitedly, and keep taking photographs incessantly. The flashlights keep going off endlessly at very close range, and yet, the sacred elephant does not get startled.
There are pilgrims of all religions, and yet there is silence, sanctity and serenity. They are all happy. Long queues have patient devotees lined up. There are no VIP queues or shorter queues on payment basis. Amazing.
The most fascinating aspect of the sanctum sanctorum at the Kataragama Devale (= Temple) is that the iconic human-like deity is not established in stone or other forms. The story is that Kartikeya came to a closure on his journey away from Kailasa, after moving through the Indian Subcontinent and reaching Kataragama. He is supposed to have established himself at Kataragama and very soon the place began to be recognised as the Dakshina Kailasa.
Shiva followed Kartikeya, as he had done so, to all his locations earlier. Upon arrival at Kataragama, Shiva is thought to have settled at Wedahitykanda, a hill-top location, the highest in a complex of seven hills overlooking the river, countryside and the southern coast line of Sri Lanka. Kartikeya also had his presence at Wedahitykanda, at a hillside enclave, on a ridge just below Shiva's location. To this day, as you would visit the hill-top temples, you would visit the Kartikeya swami temple first, and later climb to the peak, to the higher ridge, and seek blessings from Maheshwara at the temple. Its an amazingly beautiful location.
It is said that at this location, Kartikeya and Shiva merged into one formless spirit, both being actually deities without human-like form, and converged into one singular aspect. Wedahitykanda and Kataragama are thought to be astral and cosmic gateways that our knowledge systems cannot comprehend. It is through these cosmic gateways that the unified aspect of Shiva and Kartikeya traveled back to Kailasa.
Kataragama seemed like an impossible dream, considering the situation in Sri Lanka during the previous several years. The country is much more peaceful now and seems to be settling down and becoming increasingly productive. There are only so many finite aspects of an island nation that are crucial and essential for its well-being. The first, of course, is water, mainly freshwater for drinking, agriculture and irrigation purposes. The second - would be the need to be careful with the nation's finances and not have to spend it up on fighting each other inside the island. The third important fulcrum would be to ensure human oneness, in spite of all the strife.
These three aspects are the common issues that are paramount to Kataragama, I guess. It is at the fringe of the forests at Yala, and inside a crescent of Wedahitykanda (Yala National Park), Lunugamvehera National Park and Uda Walawe National Park. The river, also known locally as Menik Ganga, flows southwards to Kataragama from Weheragala reservoir near Galge, at the common edge of Yala National Park and Lunugamvehera National Park.
It would have been so much more relevant for one to focus on the catchments and watersheds at Weheragala. But, this was Kataragama, and the southern abode of Kartikeya, and it was not the land of Shiva, in his aspect of Gangadhaara. I am sure that there would be an amazing understanding of Shiva and Kartikeya and Ganesha at Kataragama. It is also in the mystery of Sella Kataragama that one may find answers, and also at Wedahitykanda. What are the secrets of Kataragama, Wedahitykanda and Sella Kataragama?
Its an amazing confluence. There is an elephant that keeps going around inside the campus, amidst hundreds of devotees thronging the pathways. The elephant goes to each place, the Kataragama temple, the Ganesha temple, the Buddhist temple, the Bodhi tree, the Siddi Sunni Muslim temple and other temples adjacent. At each of these temples, the elephant offers prayers and receives blessings from the priests.
At dusk hours, the hundreds of pilgrims crowd around the elephant excitedly, and keep taking photographs incessantly. The flashlights keep going off endlessly at very close range, and yet, the sacred elephant does not get startled.
There are pilgrims of all religions, and yet there is silence, sanctity and serenity. They are all happy. Long queues have patient devotees lined up. There are no VIP queues or shorter queues on payment basis. Amazing.
The most fascinating aspect of the sanctum sanctorum at the Kataragama Devale (= Temple) is that the iconic human-like deity is not established in stone or other forms. The story is that Kartikeya came to a closure on his journey away from Kailasa, after moving through the Indian Subcontinent and reaching Kataragama. He is supposed to have established himself at Kataragama and very soon the place began to be recognised as the Dakshina Kailasa.
Shiva followed Kartikeya, as he had done so, to all his locations earlier. Upon arrival at Kataragama, Shiva is thought to have settled at Wedahitykanda, a hill-top location, the highest in a complex of seven hills overlooking the river, countryside and the southern coast line of Sri Lanka. Kartikeya also had his presence at Wedahitykanda, at a hillside enclave, on a ridge just below Shiva's location. To this day, as you would visit the hill-top temples, you would visit the Kartikeya swami temple first, and later climb to the peak, to the higher ridge, and seek blessings from Maheshwara at the temple. Its an amazingly beautiful location.
It is said that at this location, Kartikeya and Shiva merged into one formless spirit, both being actually deities without human-like form, and converged into one singular aspect. Wedahitykanda and Kataragama are thought to be astral and cosmic gateways that our knowledge systems cannot comprehend. It is through these cosmic gateways that the unified aspect of Shiva and Kartikeya traveled back to Kailasa.
Kataragama seemed like an impossible dream, considering the situation in Sri Lanka during the previous several years. The country is much more peaceful now and seems to be settling down and becoming increasingly productive. There are only so many finite aspects of an island nation that are crucial and essential for its well-being. The first, of course, is water, mainly freshwater for drinking, agriculture and irrigation purposes. The second - would be the need to be careful with the nation's finances and not have to spend it up on fighting each other inside the island. The third important fulcrum would be to ensure human oneness, in spite of all the strife.
These three aspects are the common issues that are paramount to Kataragama, I guess. It is at the fringe of the forests at Yala, and inside a crescent of Wedahitykanda (Yala National Park), Lunugamvehera National Park and Uda Walawe National Park. The river, also known locally as Menik Ganga, flows southwards to Kataragama from Weheragala reservoir near Galge, at the common edge of Yala National Park and Lunugamvehera National Park.
It would have been so much more relevant for one to focus on the catchments and watersheds at Weheragala. But, this was Kataragama, and the southern abode of Kartikeya, and it was not the land of Shiva, in his aspect of Gangadhaara. I am sure that there would be an amazing understanding of Shiva and Kartikeya and Ganesha at Kataragama. It is also in the mystery of Sella Kataragama that one may find answers, and also at Wedahitykanda. What are the secrets of Kataragama, Wedahitykanda and Sella Kataragama?
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