Kurunegala

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It has been a long while since the previous entry. Looking at these, I realised that I have not set the background to this year very clearly. Maybe it is time to do that now, and in the subsequent two or three blogs.
this information comes from the Diocese:
"The Diocese of Kurunagala covers the Provinces of Central, North Western, North Central and the Sabaragamuwa and is composed of the Administrative Districts of Kandy, Kurunagala, Matale, Kegalle, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa.
Six out of the ten ancient kingdoms of the history of Sri Lanka are within this geographical area. Further, a good portion of the Kandyan Kingdom which was the final kingdom of Sri Lanka comes within this area. It is significant to note that the first capital which is Anuradhapura and the last capital which is Kandy of the ancient kingdoms of Sri Lanka too are within the present Diocese of Kurunagala.
The major ethnic community of the area is the Kandyan Sinhalese. The Tamil community of Indian origin lives in the plantation areas. The Kandyan Sinhala people who live in the traditional villages are engaged in the cultivation of paddy, coconuts, vegetables and home gardens as their main livelihood. The life style of the rural Sinhalese is self sufficiency and environmental protection.
The Tamil community of Indian origin who serve as estate labor in the flat coconut lands and the Rubber and Tea estates in the hill country, are the main ethnic community. The Indian Tamil community is lagging behind and not benefitting from the developments seen elsewhere in Sri Lanka.


The Church of Ceylon is made of the two Dioceses of Kurunagala and Colombo and it is possible to identify some special characteristics of the Diocese of Kurunagala.

• With the Western missionary enterprise of the nineteenth century in the Sinhala villages, whole rural communities have become Christian and they continue to live in harmony with their Buddhist relations.
• Kandyans of Sinhalese ethnicity live in these villages and they are continuing with their traditional livelihoods.
• The Tamil communities of Indian origin who are in the plantations live in cooperation and harmony with the communities in the Sinhala villages.
• At present there are 24 Parishes, 10 Rural House Churches and about 20 organizations and institutions that are engaged in matters of social concern.


The Cathedral stands under the shelter of the great Elephant Rock which gives the town its name. The Diocese was established in 1950, and the Cathedral of Christ the King took shape until its completion in 1960. The aim was to use the architecural tradition of the country, and was inspired by the Polonnaruva period,13th/14th century.
The Services here in the Cathedral are in Sinhala for the most part, with an English Service once a month. When here, it is a wonderful experience to be able to worship at the Cathedral, with its sense of history and beauty.

Climbing up Elephant Rock gives a wonderful view across the town. There are steps which take you to the top, and then its possible to meander down a winding road back to the busy urban town of Kurunagala.

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Photos

Kurunagala Cathedral
The Cathedral stands under the great Elephant Rock which gives the town its name.