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| Tuesday, 27 May 2003 |
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The recent flooding on our dear island is such a needless shame. Anyone with eyes to see can understand what has happened to the forest cover. It is either missing entirely, in a degraded state or replaced by monoculture plantations like Tea and Rubber. Further, the water holding capacity of the soils is ignored, the Government and especially the sellers of imported chemical fertilizers encourage farmers to replace soil organic matter with destructive chemical fertilizers. Consequently there are no trees to break the fall of the raindrops and shatter the rain into smaller droplets and then the soil is in no condition to hold the water since there is little or no organic matter left in the soil to act as a sponge. A consequence of human actions, which encourages flooding is the wanton filling of wetlands and other low lying areas. In times past they would have fufilled their ecological function of water storage. Another contributing factor to floods is the encroachment on stream reservations. Though these stream reservations are protected by law, at present there is little or no enforcement, so people have farmed right up to the streams eliminating the vegetation that would normally hold the earth. Humans may ignore the ways of nature for extended periods, however, she will bring them back into order, willingly or tragically. We, as a national policy, should fully reforest our highlands with endemic trees and plants that grace this land, and promote sustainable agricultural methods. L. ALEXIS, Nuwara Eliya Mulgirigala is as old as Anuradhapura Of all the interesting and beautiful Rock Temples in Sri Lanka Mulgirigala is one of the less advertised as a place of interest to any visitor but it is a place of great historical importance. Its picturesqueness and ease of access could be developed as a tourist attraction for visitors both local and foreign. The place is only 9 miles from Tangalle on the Southern coast. This sacred place consists of a massive rock nearly 400 feet high consisting in all several cave temples each of which having the image of a reclining Buddha with decorated walls illustrating the Jataka stories of Buddha where the old paintings have been obliterated with added colour in order to make them more attractive. It is believed that this shrine was built by King Saddhatissa the brother of King Dutugemunu in the year 137 BC and gains antiquity along with the temples at Anuradhapura. The earliest reference to this temple made by any foreigner was that of Ronald Furgusen of the Ceylon Observer. Although no reference had been made of this temple in the Mahawansa or Deepawansa it is one of the few places where historical literature was found. It was George Turner, the celebrated Civil Servant in the British government who found a commentary of the Mahawansa, the Great Chronicle of Lanka in the Pali language among the valuable ola manuscripts in the Temple Library which he undertook to translate into English which was published in 1827. Later Professor Geiger made a translation of it into German. In olden days the importance of Mulgirigala lay in the faith that from the 7th century the Dutch believed this rock to be Adam's Peak and they had named it Adams Berg. It is a well-known fact that the Portuguese having conquered the coastal areas of this island devastated Buddhist temples and devalas in order to plunder their wealth but they had spared this rock temple because they believe that the images of the Buddha found in the several rock caves represented the "First Man' Adam. It is humorously related how during the Dutch period in Ceylon a number of rich Persian visitors who had come to climb Adam's Peak were taken along a controversial jiz-zag circuitous route similar to how the Portuguese were taken to the Court of the Sinhalese King of Kotte. They who rode on horseback were fraudulently taken to cover about 60 miles, a distance from Matara to Adam's Peak and finally led to Mulgirigala. The Persians were not aware that the route to Adam's Peak layover rushing streams and log bridges or edandas over which no horse could walk. The path to the summit of Mulgirigala is made of flights of steps cut on the rock and fortified with iron railings. The temple caves are similar to those of Dambulla where the built up walls are covered with Jataka stories in pictures. One of Mulgirigala's principal claim to archaeological fame lies in its ancient inscriptions one of which carved high up on the rock at the lowest terrace reads "Cave of Kuda Tissa brother of----......." the remainder of the sentence missing. Further up the hill is another which reads -" Cave of the lay devotee, the brother of the Parumaka Banaka is given to the priesthood of the four quarters present and absent." A long flight of stone steps lead from the front terrace round the rock up to the small landing where there is a preaching hall. A climber can rest here awhile before attempting to climb higher along the steep steps. At the end of the climb one comes to a group of four cave temples and a rock pool surrounded by a wall. Each cave temple contains a statue of the Buddha each of which are about 30 feet in length. The two Elephant Tusks discoursed brown due to age is supposed to have been gifted by the Seethawaka King Rajasinghe I. The last perilous climb to the top lay by means of a narrow flight of steps. The climb is facilitated by an iron railing. Mulgirigala had been visited by great personages at ancient times. From with in the enclosure on top there is a wonderful view over the Hill Country of Giruwa Pattu with the great blue sea on the South and the hills of Rakwana in the North. Heige, a German visitor asserted that Adam not only lived at Mulgirigala but that his ashes after cremation were enclosed in a global Dagoba there. GODWIN WITANE, Boralesgamuwa. Cataract surgery - misconception I read the news items about the misconception regarding cataract surgery by that eminent Consultant Surgeon Dr. Upali Mendis who categorically stated that laser energy cannot be used for cataract surgery. I was one of those patients who consulted that Indian eye surgeon who claimed to remove cataract formed in the eye with laser. She further said that this surgery could be done by her in Bangalore for Rs. 200,000. When I posed the question should a complication arise after surgery and after my return to Colombo and who would tend to my eye she had no answer. I am most grateful to Dr. Upali Mendis for giving the true picture in this regard. I also consulted Dr. Mendis who said that removal of the cataract by the most advanced technique of Phacoemulsification costs a fraction of what this Indian doctor claimed. It is very necessary to guard against these so-called qualified medical personnel from abroad who try to dupe patients by unethical means. The government and the Ministry of Health should be careful not to allow foreign practitioners to see patients without proper screening. ROWLAND JAYASINGHE, Colombo 5. The terrifying manslaughter of three members of a family at Frazer Avenue, Dehiwela recently would no doubt have sent shockwaves among its residents and the whole of Dehiwela. The low levels to which crime and other vices have flourished in the Dehiwela area are unimaginable. Drug addicts, looters, brewing of illicit liquor, prostitution and many more have come to stay in this once beautiful town. Where is the Police Force and what are they doing to curb these nefarious activities? Are they hand in glove with these notorious criminals? Remember the newspaper reporter who was manhandled by the Police for highlighting the evil works of unscrupulous elements at Attapattu Place, Dehiwela and the horrifying murder of a whole family at Hokandara. Brutal acts of this nature have only made us to earn a reputation as a savage country the world over. We strongly and proudly profess our respective faiths, but on the other hand vice and crime are rampant bringing disrepute to this Thrice Blessed land of ours. We have a Minister appointed for the job, but where is the action? It is only a case of appointing committees, which invariably die a natural death. Why not get down to imposing the laws of the Middle East where the most brutal punishment is met for even a mild offence? Let the eyes of the appropriate authorities open wider to these treacherous acts that have taken the lives of our professionals and the best educated, the innocent and helpless souls, leaving behind a legacy of unwanted elements in society - the underworld who should be done away with, and not protected for the benefit of the great and mighty. S.R., Dehiwela Cohabitation - the choice is with the President After weeks of indecision President Kumaratunga finally played her card last Saturday. It was dealt so deftly that many didn't understand that this was declaration of war on the UNP administration. Kumaratunga together with her kitchen cabinet may have thought that they could outsmart Ranil. After having threatened to move against the Ministers of Defense, Interior and Media, they would have expected the UNP to ignore the move against the Development Lotteries Board. Unfortunately for the PA, from the way Ranil reacted it seems quite clear that he anticipated such a move. Thus once again proving that Ranil Wickremesinghe was indeed, the true heir to the old fox; President Jayewardene. Even before the President could settle down for her holiday in Nuwara Eliya the Prime Minister had thrown the ball back to her court. The country now awaits Chandrika's reaction, will she back down and remain in office till the end of her term or will she force Ranil to impeach her. If she decides to withdraw her order and stop all further attempts to overthrow the Government, the PM is sure to stop moves to impeach the President. If the President behaves as a lady especially when speaking in public, she would be able to count on every possible respect from Ranil, the perfect gentleman in politics. The President has little more than two years of her second and final term. Since she would be un eligible, the PA would have to identify their Presidential Candidate at least by early part of next year. This would mean that even within the PA Chandrika's authority would erode, as every SLFP politician would be dancing to the tune of the next presidential candidate. Thus unfortunately for her she can't remain in power until her children are ready to enter into politics. one could sympathise with Chandrika for not wanting to let go of her grip on power. she would have to admit that her term was a disaster for the country. The sooner she understands that the better. At the same time does she understand that, the group of yes men around her are actually pushing her towards brinkmanship with UNP with ulterior motives? Nobody doubts that, JVP intentions are to take over the huge constituency of the SLFP. Even within the PA, Mangala Samaraweera knowing that Anura Bandaranaike is a spent force may be entertaining hopes of taking over the PA after Chandrika. Thus unless the next generation of SLFP leaders continue to follow the party tradition of preferring even a broom stick calling itself a Bandaranaike to lead them, it's unlikely that her children can consider the SLFP as a birth right of the Bandaranaike family. Even if she manages to keep the control of the party within the family can she even trust the clown prince? Once in control he may remember how Chandrika came from nowhere and kicked him out of the party. We may be watching the beginning of the end of the Chandrika's Presidency. But it could also be the end of the beginning of cohabitation between President Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The choice is with the Madam President. PANDUKA ABAYA |
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