Mihintale Aloka Pooja from today

2006-06-18

Uditha Kumarasinghe  

COLOMBO: The Mihintale Aloka Pooja organised by the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd (ANCL) will begin today.

The entire sacred city of Mihintale will be illuminated during the Poson festival through the Aloka Pooja. This is the 44th consecutive time the ANCL is organising the Mihintale Aloka Pooja to mark the Poson festival.  

This year too, Abans Limited will be the main sponsor while the Ceylon Electricity Board will be the co-sponsor.

The ANCL has made arrangements to illuminate Mihintale sacred city using over 50,000 bulbs from today to Sunday.  

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake, Power and Energy Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne and Cultural Affairs Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene are scheduled to inaugurate the Aloka Pooja today, the day prior to Poson Full Moon Poya Day.  

President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Information and Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa are due to participate on the second day of the ceremony tomorrow, Poson Poya Day. ANCL Chairman Anil Obeysekere, PC, and CEB Chairman Chula Delgoda will be the chief guests on the final day of the Aloka Pooja on June 12.  

The ANCL has also organised a Mihindu Perahera which will commence in front of Rajarata University today at 8.30 p.m. and proceed up to Pahatha Maluwa of the Mihintale sacred city.  

This procession will be conducted as a model of the Sri Dalada Maligawa Perahera giving priority to upcountry, low country and Sabaragamuwa dance traditions. When the dance troupes were selected, priority was given to the dancing  institutions in the Anuradhapura district.  

The ANCL will unveil the King Devanampiyatissa statue erected at the Mihintale Raja Maha Vihara premises.