New Delhi   

The neighbourhood festival of many a lantern

P. Anima

NEW DELHI: The Sri Lanka High Commission here is all decked up to celebrate Buddha Purnima, the most important event in the Sri Lankan religious calendar.

The highlight of the celebrations is the installation of a huge traditional Vesak lantern made by the employees that was lit up on Tuesday evening as part of the two-day festivities.

The lantern has 21 hexagon-shaped lampshades, all inter-connected through bamboo sticks and hanging delicately from a single pole. The enormous white Vesak lantern glowed brightly and gently swayed in the wind, with each hexagon bearing the "chakra" of the Buddhist flag, as special prayers were performed at the mission.

Explaining the significance of the lantern in the celebrations, Chandana Weerasena, Second Secretary at the Sri Lanka High Commission, said: "Vesak -- which stands for Buddha Purnima in Sinhalese -- is the time we observe the birth of Lord Buddha, his enlightenment as well as departure from the world. At the centre of the Vesak lantern is what we traditionally call the mother lantern from which originate 20 kid lanterns. It is like a family of lanterns."

And this family of lanterns is tantalisingly poised on a single bamboo pole. To be sure, it was no easy task to make the Vesak lantern. About 20 people worked for over two weeks to get the mammoth lantern ready. And if one thought that lanterns could not have got any bigger, Chandana adds, "In Sri Lanka one would find really huge Vesak lanterns. If you have 21 lamps here, there you would find 69 lamps."

Towards dusk on Tuesday, about 150 Sri Lankans in Delhi assembled at the High Commission lawns, attended prayers and then went on to light 2,501 tiny mud lamps placed all over the building to commemorate the Buddha anniversary.

Bright multi-coloured Buddhist flags and white ribbons adorned the High Commission, adding a dash of colour to the festivities.

For Sri Lankans, Buddha Purnima is also a time for national integration as people of all faiths come together to take part in the celebrations.

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