The holy land of 55 acres belonging to the Kataragama Devalaya where the Thinnoru mineral is unearthed to apply on the forehead of devotees is occupied by a group of businessmen from Colombo.
The land was surveyed and its ownership was handed over to the then Basnayake Nilame on July 17, 2010, by the then Divisional Secretariat B.M. Atapattu. However the businessmen have constructed guest houses on the land and are dwelling within the premises.
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| An employee of the Devalaya with the Thinnoru he has unearthed. Pictures by K.D. Devapriya |
The Chief Priest (Kapu Mahatha) Somipala T. Ratnayake said that it is the only land in the country as well as in the world where holy Thinnoru is found for the use of the Devalaya. He added that the Thinnoru from this land is exported even to India for the use of the Devalayas there.
He said that much of the legends relating to the life of Skanda Kumara (Kataragama Deviyo) is connected to this holy land of 55 acres too. The people who serve the Devalaya traditionally have been unearthing the Thinnoru from this land from the time the Devalaya was set up. However the businessmen do not allow these pious servants to enter this area where the Thinnoru is abundant.
The Chief Priest further said that the pious servants of Skanda Kumara only consume a vegetarian diet for months before they go to excavate the Thinnoru from this holy land immediate after the Kap Situweema ceremony at the Devalaya. He added that is the degree of purity they maintain to get the holy Thinnoru in June and July, but these businessmen have constructed toilets and cess pits on the holy land. They complain that now it is a hard task to unearth clean Thinnoru from the land to make it holy.
Chief Priest Ratnayake said that the deeds relating to the land is at the office of the Basnayaka Nilame of the Ruhunu Kataragama Devalaya. Depriving this land to the Kataragama Devalaya is a grave injustice levelled at the local and foreign devotees who come to worship Skanda Kumara at the Devalaya.
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