| I’m just ending my yearly stay in Kandy, the biggest place in the highlands of Sri Lanka. This city was the capitol of the last kings of Sri Lanka. It is on the shores of a beautiful artificial lake and is the site of the Temple of the Tooth, the most important Buddhist site in the country, and a center of pilgrimage. Religion here is quite syncretistic, and right alongside the Temple of the Tooth there are shrines to four pagan gods. They are: * Nātha - He is supposed to be the next Buddha. * Viṣnu - A nativized version of Hindu god of protection and help. * Kataragama Deviyo - Also called Skanda, he is the god of the south-east corner of Sri Lanka. * Pattini - An idealized mother figure. Women ask for her help in having children. Her cult came to Lanka from Kerala, and perhaps was ultimately of Middle Eastern origin. These deities are fitted into the Buddhist religious system as good and powerful lay buddhists, on their way to buddha-hood themselves. Being good, they can only be asked to do good things. They wouldn’t harm someone for you, but if you want to hurt your enemies, there are devils you can ask. Next month is the annual big procession where the reliquary that holds the Buddha’s tooth is taken out and paraded around on an elephant, together with lots of dancers and musicians. Things are already warming up for the big event, with festivals and dancers in traditional costume. I have never before been here at this time of year, and much of this is new to me. |
| Created on 10 July 2024, updated on 11 July 2024 by Samuel Ethan Fox |
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| Tea Treat Susan Buchbinder |
| Looking forward to trying the tea you bought at the tea museum. |