President Rajapaksa first head of state at Aluth Sahal Mangalya

President Mahinda Rajapaksa participated at the National Aluth Sahal Mangalya at the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi premises on 7 April. The President was the first Head of State to participate at this National ceremony.

The Aluth Sahal Mangalya is a traditional offering of milk-rice to the deities, made from the maiden harvest of the year.

The objectives of the function were to invoke blessings of the deities that protected the paddy cultivation and also to pray for sufficient rain during the season. The ceremony has been held since 1968 under the patronage of the Minister of Agriculture.

At the ceremony, farmers carrying offerings of their maiden rice harvest entered the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi to present the offerings to the Chief Incumbent of the Atamastana Ven. Pallegama Sirinivasa Thera, who then places the first handful of rice in a special offering bowl. President Rajapaksa also joined in filling the bowl amidst chanting of seth pirith by the Maha Sangha.

Delivering the anusasana, Ven. Pallegama Hemaratana Thera said that the presence of the President at the ceremony symbolises the government’s commitment to the welfare of the farmers and requested the farming community to support the President build a self-sufficient economy.

At the occasion, President Rajapaksa presented a container of a rare indigenous rice variety to the Maha Sangha as an offering. In addition Adivasi Chief Uruwarige Wanniyalatto made his traditional offering of bees honey and ghee to the Maha Sangha according to custom.

A souvenir, issued to mark the Aluth Sahal Mangalya was handed over to the President by Deputy Minister S.M. Chandrasena. The Maha Sangha led by the Chief Sangha Nayaka of Northern and Eastern provinces Ven. Nugetenne Pannananda Thera, Deputy Ministers M.K.A.D.S. Gunawardena and W.B. Ekanayake, Governor of the North-central Province Karunaratne Divulgane and Chief Minister S.M. Ranjith were amongst those who participated at the occasion.