Day 5
On the way to Kurunegalla, the group stopped by the Rumassalla area. In ancient mythology, it is rumored that the Hindu God Hanumantha had dropped a patch of soil which had clung to some medicinal herbs he had uprooted from the Himalayan mountain range, which he needed to treat his troops who were waging a battle against evil demon king Ravana. Interestingly enough, geologists and botanical experts have claimed that some of the special medicinal plants in the region are similar to the ones found in the Himalayan region. The group also toured the Buddhist Dagoba by the name of “Peace Pagoda.” The “Peace Pagoda” was strategically positioned in an area which offered a breath taking, panoramic view of the Galle Coast.
After having witnessed the beauty of Rumussalla, the group took off to Jaffna via Kurunegala. In Kurunegala, the group from Puttalam and the organizers split up with the members from the other DIRC’s to return to their respective homes. This break away at the Warakapola Foodland was indeed one for a Hindi movie, with nearly all the religious leaders breaking down into tears and expressing their sadness at having to part with each other and the members from civil society organizations wept with sadness. It truly was remarkable to witness the bonds of friendship that were sown, by getting people from different backgrounds to live with each other for a period of time. My thoughts wandered, surely if friendships between Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims could have been built as evidences by this initiative within a short span of 5 days, surely then reconciliation at the national level is indeed possible.
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