Pinnacle placed on new stupa at Shri Gangathilakarama Viharaya Dediyagala
Saturday, 18 January 2014 00:01
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Text and pix by P.D. De Silva
SLS Tea Factory Akuressa proprietor S.L. Sunil placed the pinnacle on the newly constructed stupa at the Shri Ganagathilakarama Viharaya at Dediyagala on the invitation of the chief incumbent the venerable Unalle Saranathissa thera last Tuesday (14th). The pinnacle was gifted by D. Sannasuriya proprietor of the Dediyagala and Samreen tea factories.
The Shri Gangathilakarama Viharaya was built by the villagers in 1924 and the first incumbent was the late Parawahera Somaguna thera.
Venerable Unelle Saranathissa thera the present incumbent priest has been at the temple for the past 59 years! “There were only 18 homesteads when I first came to the village here but as you can see there are more than four hundred now. It is the people of Dediyagala who built this temple in 1924 and continue to do so today. It was their unanimous choice that S.L. Sunil one of the most energetic entrepreneurs and philanthropists of Akuressa lay the pinnacle on the newly constructed stupa today,” said the venerable Ulalle Saransiri the Viharadikari of the temple addressing the large gathering of devotees and well wishers who attended the ceremony.
