The Dimbulagala Buddhist Society had lodged a complaint with the Eravur Police against the authorities concerned for cultivating vegetable crops and chilli crops by destroying an ancient huge Dagaba relating to the Anuradhapura Era in the Mavadivembu area belonging to the Eravur Pattu-Chenkalady Divisional Secretariat.
The complaint has been lodged against Batticaloa District Secretary, Assistant Director of Archeology and Kadirgamar Thambi Sivakumar, who had cultivated in the land. Registrar of the Dimbulagala Buddha Sravaka Sangha Sabha, Venerable Dewagala Devalankara Thero said, that the Dagaba was built around the 2-3th century AD and the Dagaba is about 32 meters in diameter and has been discovered by the Archaeological Office of Ampara in 2017 with four inscriptions on it. This Dagaba is considered to be the largest Dagaba in the Anuradhapura period. The monks of Dimbulagala visited the area to protest against the destruction of an archaeological site by the cultivation of chillies and vegetables.
Kadirgamar Thambi Sivakumar, 43, who was engaged in the cultivation, said that a land permit has been obtained from the Batticaloa District Secretariat for this purpose. He also said that he is paying Rs. 4 lakhs per acre for 3 acres that he had purchased from someone else. Sivakumar said that although the Ampara Archaeological Office had been informed that there is a dagoba, no solution has been given so far and during this meeting OIC of the Eravur police, Chief Inspector of Police Nalin Sudarshana was also present.
Pankudaveli Archaeological Assistant Kandasami Indukumar, who was present at the occasion, said that he could not comment on the incident as he was not performing duties in the area during the time this exploit was taking place. However, Sivakumar, along with an iron steel and a shovel, were taken to the Eravur police to record a statement.
When inquired from Mr. Mahinda Karunatilake, Assistant Director of Archeology of Ampara, he stated that there is an ancient Dagaba which belongs to the period 2-3 AD and it has been discovered around 2017. However, the Assistant Director said that the land is owned by the cultivators themselves and had advised the cultivators not to damage the Stupa.
In the 100 day plan or so called promises given by the Yahapalana government,"Create a Program to Revise and Protect Archaeological Sites" was one of them. Is this the so called promise that they were talking about?
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