Dalada Maligawa: Setting pace for offering the Katina Cheevaraya-by L.B Senarathne

Source:Dailymirror

Sri Dalada Maligawa set the pace for the offering the Katina Cheevaraya, going through all the paces for its offering to the monks in Service at the Sri Dalada Maligawa as headed by the Anunayake Panditha Anamaduwa Dhammadassi Thera of Kurunegala Eth Kanda Vihara, who is in service at the Inner Shrine Room.
The Katina Cheevaraya was stitched within the Sri Dalada Maligawa where the Senior Member of the Asgiri Karaka Sangha Sabha, the Nayaka Thera of Mahiyangana Raja Maha Panditha Urulewatte Dhammadassi Thera resides.

The Katina Cheevaraya was then dyed in a Pandu Oruwa (A log cut out from a Jak Tree in the shape of a boat) and then dyed on the compound of the Vedahitistanaya or the building that holds the Golden Casket.
There were 51 members of the Maha Sangha drawn from both Chapters of Asgiri and Malwatte headed by the Mahanayake of Asgiri the Venerable Panditha Warakagoda Gnanaratne Thera.

The Katina Cheevaraya was offered to the Anunayake for them to decide who would be the recipient of the Katina from the five service monks who were in Vas at the Sri Dalada Maligawa during the last three months.  Thus ended the offering of the Katina at the Sri Dalada Maligawa with the offering of an Atapirikara by the Diyawadana Nilame Pradeep Nilanga Dela.
The Katina was organised by the Venerable Kotmale Sudharma Meheninwahansa for the last many years.
There were only a handful of devotees due to health constraints caused by Covid pandemic.

Procession conveying the Cheevaraya into the Dana Salawa