Author: mahawelimahaviharaya

The main highlight of the ceremony is the placement of a sacred objects inside the Stupa. This has been completed with great care and precision. It is believed that the relics and objects will become infused with the spiritual power of the Stupa and radiate blessings and protection to all those who come into contact with it.

The construction work of the Stupa was started on 28 August 2018 under the guidance of Rev. Somananda Thera. The deposition of auspicious objects (Nidan Wasthu) was taken place on 05 February 2023.

The Stupa is a sacred symbol of the lord Buddha’s enlightenment, it represents the path to enlightenment for all beings. The ceremony was conducted with chanting of Seth Pirith and offerings that are meant to invoke the blessings of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha to all living beings.

Stupa Nidan ceremony is a powerful expression of faith and devotion, and is a reminder of the transformative power of the Buddha’s teachings. By participating in this ceremony, devotees honored the Buddha and the path he showed us, and we seek to cultivate the qualities of wisdom, compassion, and enlightenment in our own lives.

Please see here for the video link of the event proceedings.

Dhathu Gharba closing ceremony will be held on 5th of February 2023. This was earlier planned for the 19th of October 2020 which was delayed due to Covid pandemic and economic crisis in Sri Lanka.

Precious objects – Nidan Wasthu collection for the Dahthu Garabaya.

Stone Work completion and plastering

Below is the estimated cost for the completion of this work. Currently we have 494 units available for donations at Rs.2500 per unit. If you are interested in participating in this noble task, please make your donations by visiting Donate page.

Thanks to the kindness of our generous donors, we were able to fund the rescue of two cows (‘Sudu’ and ‘Chooti’ – the latter believed to be pregnant) from slaughter. The rescued cows have been handed over to the village farmers. From this selfless act, not only were we able to save two (if not more) lives, but also support the livelihoods of the people who in turn would benefit from the milk provided.

Ven. Somananda feeding ‘Sudu’ after her rescue.

A new addition to the herd. Here, Ven. Somananda feeds another recently born calf.

We are in the process of moving the mini library facility from the Dhaham shala building  (currently setup here as a temporary measure) to the Dhana Shala & library building.

The library facility will be equipped with Tripitaka including the supplementary textbooks (atuwa teeka) and books (story and educational) for the village students. The building will also be equipped with five computers with internet access and a study space for the students as most of them lack such facilities in their homes.

Below are some pictures of the ongoing construction work:

Ancient and traditional paddy cultivation practices were completely organic and did not induce any harm to the surrounding environment or health. This year, the farmers in Kantale – Sooriyapura begin their journey on organic farming by start cultivating 1.5 acres of paddy field with ‘kalu Heenati’ rice.

‘kalu Heenati’ rice – This rice variety has some significant medicinal properties. Porridge made from Kalu heenati rice is highly recommended for hepatitis patients. Gruel of Kalu heenati is known to control the toxic effects of snake bites. In ancient times Kalu Heenati was a source for treating various illnesses, specially for diarrhea, diabetes and cholesterol. Cooked rice of “El Wee” varieties were also used for feeding expecting mothers and infants because of the ability of easy digesting and containing high nutrients.

Among Heenati varieties, Kalu Heenati is the most popular for preparing medicines. Specially Heenati rice formulated with various juices are still being used to treat diabetic patients.

The tractor shown in this picture has been purchased for the benefit of the poor farmers on a loan by Ven. Somananda.
He earns a little salary by teaching at the Piriwena (monestary). Having used the majority of his little salary towards buying this tractor,
Ven. Somananda often went days without even having enough means to organise food for his dhana. The tractor is now used in the village for paddy field preparation and ploughing. It has been used to prepare 28 paddy fields during this season alone.
With our donors support, Ven. Somananda’s aim is to provide help for the villagers for farming and to provide education facilities to the students in the village.
In line with Ven. Somananda vision and the ancient concept of ‘Gamai Pansalai’, we are so proud to be a part of helping build this village.

Please get in touch with us if you too would like to be a part of this project.

Due to ongoing covid-19 situation in Sri Lanka, we have decided to postpone the Dharthu Garabaya closing ceremony planned for the 19th of October 2020. We will announce the new date when the situation get back to normal. Please be assured that we are still going ahead with the planned construction work.

The planned Dhathu Gharba closing ceremony will be held on 19th of October 2020.

Donations can be made towards the precious object placement, completion of the Sthupa and Maluwa in units of Rs 800.00 per square feet (total of 2500 square feet).

Precious objects collection for the Dahthu Garabaya – Rs. 3,000 and Rs. 5,000

Please visit the donation page to make a contribution for this noble task.

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Early this year we have introduced some bee colonies marking the beginning of the Beehive farming project. These are some pictures of our first Beehive harvest. Plans are now under way to extend the number of bee hives in the village with the aid of our kind donors.

We are pleased to announce that ‘Wata Maluwa ‘ the octagon terrace construction work is now in progress. This was delayed due to covid-19 pandemic.

The preparation work inside Dhathu Garbhaya (Hemispherical dome) painting works have been completed in preparation for the placement of Thriptika together with other relics that will be enshrined there.