Sri Lanka’s Christians joined Muslim and Hindu groups in assisting an estimated 1 million Buddhist pilgrims who waited long lines to see a rare tooth relic in the town of Kandy.
The 10-day exhibition ended at the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy on April 27 after 16 years, ending a five-kilometer-long line of pilgrims. Some pilgrims had to wait for days to see the sacred tooth.
“Muslim mosques and Christian churches have stepped up to offer shelter, free food, water and sanitation,” said Sarani Jeewanthi, 58, who queued for two days with thousands of others.
Jeewanthi, who travelled with 35 friends and family, said the queue included many elderly and sick people who endured rainy nights outdoors.
She said two Muslim mosques on the road to the temple had opened to allow Buddhist women to rest inside, where even Muslim women are usually not allowed. The mosques also provided food and water.
The religious harmony comes seven years after parts of Kandy were rocked by violence by extremist groups that left two people dead, destroyed hundreds of homes and severely damaged six mosques and 37 Muslim homes, prompting a 10-day state of emergency.
Jiwanti said she was happy to see “things are getting better” and all religions “living in harmony”.
On April 18, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said “harmony and brotherhood between different nations and religions is the true glory of the tooth relic.”
Saroj Fernando, a member of the Kandy Catholic Youth Group, said his group, along with several other youth groups and priests, distributed food and bottled water to pilgrims.
Organizers told local media they planned to host nearly two million pilgrims but had to control entry after half the crowds were in because authorities failed to provide basic sanitation for such a large influx.
The fair was the largest gathering at a single venue in the island’s history, according to a joint statement from the chief monks of Kandy’s temples.
Kandy Municipal Commissioner Indika Kumari told reporters they were “happy” the pilgrimage was over.
“But we have a bigger task ahead, which is to remove the various makeshift structures that have been erected in the town” and the garbage left behind by the pilgrims, she said.
According to the Kandy Municipal Commission, the pilgrims generated 600 tons of garbage and discarded about 3.5 million plastic water bottles.
The government has launched a program to clean toilets in mosques and churches as a sign of gratitude and to promote cooperation between different religions.
