No Ban on Religious Events by The Chief Incumbent of Shri Wijayawardenaramaya Temple, Alawatugoda!

Subscribe to our WhatsApp Channel

In Sri Lanka, the Vesak festival is widely celebrated. It encompasses religious events, including almsgivings (Dansela) and elaborate decorations in various areas. Organisers typically secure permissions from key figures such as the chief monk of the local Buddhist temple and the Grama Niladhari. This process has traditionally been smooth, with few grievances reported.

However, recent viral social media posts have raised questions about the procedure, purportedly based on a notice released by a temple. Our investigation aims to clarify the situation surrounding these claims.

Social Media Posts

A social media post, purportedly issued by the chief incumbent of Shri Wijayawardenaramaya Temple in Alawatugoda, Welimada, Uva Province, Sri Lanka, claims to restrict religious events organised by entities other than the Buddhist Committee of Wijayawardenaramaya and Bogahakumbura Vidyalaya.

FB | Archived

Users commented on it like below.

We decided to do a fact-check on it.

Fact Check:

Explanation by Temple Facebook Page Admin: The administrator of the Sri Vijayavardanaramaya temple's Facebook page corroborates the chief incumbent's statement, mentioning that unauthorised access to the official page led to the dissemination of the fake notice. However, the page admin states the fake post was promptly removed within 20 minutes yet admits that the post had already gone viral by then.

Statement from Chief Incumbent Thera: The temple's chief incumbent also denied issuing any such statement. According to him, the notice was fabricated by malicious parties, and he affirmed that he has been granting permissions for religious functions, including those related to Vesak, without any bias.

Confirmation from Bogahakumbura Police: The Officer in Charge (OIC) of Bogahakumbura Police stated that they have not received any grievances regarding rejections of requests for religious events in the Alawatugoda area. Furthermore, no complaints have been lodged against the chief incumbent, indicating a harmonious relationship with the community.

Testimony from Grama Niladhari and Locals: The Grama Niladhari of Alawatugoda and several individuals from the area affirm that the chief incumbent has been impartial in granting permissions for Vesak-related functions. They have not witnessed or received complaints about biased behaviour from the temple authorities.

We also contacted අලවතුගොඩ සමන් දේවාලය Alawathugoda Saman Dewalaya, a temple that has traditionally organised events parallel to Vesak. They affirmed that Sri Vijayavardanaramaya had not influenced them not to conduct programs this year and that they would continue religious events in 2024 as usual.

Follow us and stay up to date with our latest fact checks.

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Google News | TikTok

Conclusion:

The viral post alleging a ban on religious events by the chief incumbent of Shri Wijayawardenaramaya Temple in Alawatugoda is false. Investigations reveal that the fake notice was uploaded to the temple's Facebook page without authorisation. The chief incumbent and the temple FB page's administrator deny its authenticity. Additionally, local authorities and community members attest to the chief incumbent's unbiased approach in granting permissions for religious functions.