Pro-LTTE TNA Obstructing Buddhist Temple at Kokilaya
Ven. Sri Thissapura Gunarathna Thero at Kokilaya, located along the coastal Mulathive – Madakalapuwa road, developing ancient Buddhist Viharaya which was completely destroyed by the LTTE Tamil terrorists as ‘Sri Sambodhi Vihara’. The monk and the Buddhists devotees working on the developing of the Viharaya despite the pressure and obstructions coming from the LTTE Tamil terrorists backed TNA. The area surrounding Kokilaya is the focus of Sinhala communities, as it is the key location for wedging the demographic contiguity of the North and East as well as direct communication between Mulathive and Trincomalee. During the war time LTTE Tamil terrorist killed many Sinhala civilians in these area and rest chased away.
Sri Lankan Army soldiers have been deployed to provide the security to Buddhist Vihaya from LTTE backed TNA Tamil thugs. Construction of Dagoba is going at the accelerated programme to open for the Asela Poya day. Three years ago, the Buddhist devotees had put up a temporary hut at the old Viharaya land and its precincts which was destroyed by the LTTE Tamil terrorists with the generous donations from Sampath Bank. A tube well which was dug at the Viharaya premises is popular among the local Tamil villagers and it serves to fresh water demand to the nearby villages and devotees.
The Tamil administration of the Divisional Secretory of the area obstructing the development of the Viharaya and trying to issue injunction order to stop the development. However, Buddhists devotees are still continuing the construction work at the site of the Vihara.
In addition to the buildings of Chamber (a tri-part structure with Buddha statue in the central chamber), bell tower, Stupa (shell dome) which will be 10 meter high to its crest and rested upon a 2-meter high round structure, Dhammasala (preaching hall) with eight peripheral columns, Awasa Geya (Chapter house) with a lotus pond and a two-storied monastery (Sangharamaya), the temple establishment is to incorporate an area housing ‘other activities’ to the West of the Vihara buildings, separated by a north-South running internal road. This area is called ‘welfare area’, where the monk is planning to construct a multi-purpose building, a vocational training centre and a model farm. And a five floors Multi-Purpose building consisting of a nursery, refectory, library and other facilities. Only three floors are to be constructed in the beginning according to the model.
The vocational training centre is to cater the adult women and men. It will be housing a sewing centre for the settling women, a dairy product unit (yoghurt production), Diveneguma-assisted carpenter and welding workshop and a fertilizer manufacturing plant.
The model farm also aims to ‘integrate’ both the children of Sinhala and Tamil schools into the future programme with the assistance of Sri Lankan Agrarian Department.
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