• Latest
  • Trending

Ketchimale Mosque

June 1, 2016
Auto Draft

Poson Poya

June 9, 2022
Seasonal Fruities in Our Island Nation

Seasonal Fruities in Our Island Nation

June 9, 2022
Poson and the Mihintale Season

Poson and the Mihintale Season

June 9, 2022
Wine, Hiking & Well-Being

Wine, Hiking & Well-Being

June 8, 2022
Behind the Scenes Green Chefs

Behind the Scenes Green Chefs

June 8, 2022
THE LOOM IS HER GURU

THE LOOM IS HER GURU

May 17, 2022
The Glory of Vesak and The Teaching of Buddha

The Glory of Vesak and The Teaching of Buddha

May 17, 2022
Juicy Tropical Treats: Star Fruits

Juicy Tropical Treats: Star Fruits

May 17, 2022
VISION CARE CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF REVOLUTIONIZING SRI LANKA’S EYE CARE INDUSTRY

VISION CARE CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF REVOLUTIONIZING SRI LANKA’S EYE CARE INDUSTRY

May 13, 2022
Chilling in Arugambay

Chilling in Arugambay

May 13, 2022
MINISTRY OF CRAB RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF ASIA’S 50 BEST RESTAURANTS FOR THE EIGHTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR 

MINISTRY OF CRAB RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF ASIA’S 50 BEST RESTAURANTS FOR THE EIGHTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR 

May 17, 2022
Safilo Group hosts ‘Buying Day’ marking Carrera’s 65 years of Design and Quality

Safilo Group hosts ‘Buying Day’ marking Carrera’s 65 years of Design and Quality

May 14, 2022
Retail
Friday, July 1, 2022
Subscription
Advertise
  • Home
  • Issues
    • 2022
      • January 2022
      • February 2022
      • March 2022
      • April 2022
      • May 2022
      • June 2022
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Archive
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result

Ketchimale Mosque

by
in General, Slider
0 0
0
The immaculate Ketchimale Mosque is one of the oldest Muslim shrines in Sri Lanka
The immaculate Ketchimale Mosque is one of the oldest Muslim shrines in Sri Lanka

Ketchimale in Beruwala is a mosque of miracles, the biggest of which is that all religions and races mingle there with the same devotion.

Words Yomal Senerath-Yapa
Photographs Mahesh Bandara and Vishwathan Tharmakulasingam

A religious lesson is delivered by the Mawlawi
A religious lesson is delivered by the Mawlawi

The sky and seas were blue. The white foam crashing against the rocks on the shore, however, matched the clear white of Ketchimale Mosque, our destination. It’s a building standing on a promontory, like an anchored ship. It is almost surrounded by the ocean, and has a fishing harbour on one side.

If you look down on the harbour from the mosque, you’ll see it crowded with colourful boats, like part of an English seaside village.

The mosque painted white is solid, though not big. Its roofs are crowned with much ornamentation, including many crescent-and-star signs. The origins of the place go back to the 12th century, when seven royal princes from Aden (Yemen’s former capital) landed on our shores. Though the Sinhalese king extended warm hospitality to them, these princes, led by one Ash-Shaikh Ashraff Waliullah, wanted to lead a life devoted to their religion, and therefore moved to this beautiful piece of land in Beruwala. Once Waliullah passed from this life he was buried here.

Upon entering the mosque, we were led to the prayer hall, the biggest room in the complex. Each person who comes to pray must enter this space after ritual ablutions in the bath in the porch of the mosque. Garbed in long robes and skullcaps, the congregation that day was led in prayers by a distinguished Yemeni ‘Mawlawi’ (religious scholar). The sonorous, rhythmic praying voices rose gradually in unison. The room they were praying in had a feel of order and devotion. From the checkered roof hung a chandelier, and on the walls were framed prayers in Arabic. The men and boys were praying facing the glittering afternoon ocean, visible through the open windows.

After being privy to the prayer session, we were shown to the holy of holies in the mosque: Waliullah’s tomb, surrounded by holy books.

It was not just the fact that Waliullah was buried here that exalted Ketchimale to holiness. There is more to the story. Some time after Waliullah’s death, the chief of the Maradana Jumma Mosque in Beruwela was clearing the tomb when a thorn pricked him and he fell asleep. While asleep, the priest was approached by Waliullah who asked him to allocate the land to him. The first mosque thus built was a cadjan.

It was during Dutch times that Ketchimale became a reputed shrine. Some Dutch soldiers were attempting to demolish a part of the mountain where the building stood, when an unknown person scared the soldiers and made them flee.

It was following this incident that the mosque began to be regarded as miraculous. To this day it retains that reputation and Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Christians come here to receive blessings.

Ketchimale is not exclusive to Islamic devotees. It is one of those shrines, like Adam’s Peak, where the faiths mingle. Many Buddhist and Christian fishermen come here, and it has become a stopover forpilgrims on their way to popular destinations such as Kataragama. During the almsgiving called ‘kanduri’, when every visitor is given food to fulfillment, one day is allocated for devotees of other faiths.

A miracle is told of the mosque during British occupation. Governor Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon was passing Beruwela on his way to Galle his horse, all of a sudden, refused to move. All Sir Arthur could do was to set the horse free. The animal, badly agitated, calmed down only after reaching the holy grounds of the mosque.

The awe-inspired governor gave the entitlement of the land to the then caretaker of the holy place, one Abdul Cader bin Shaikh Yoosuf. Until then the land had technically been crown property. Many other miracles are recounted of Ketchimale, the most recent of them about the Boxing Day tsunami, when waves as high as six metres failed to damage the shrine.

As the peace of evening gradually crept over the Ketchimale mosque, it was time to bid adieu to its Moorish charm. Bats wheeled, the sun was disappearing, and we hurried down, leaving behind the white monument which we hoped will survive for another 700 years: a bulwark against ethnic or religious friction.

Tags: Heritage
TweetShareShare

Search

No Result
View All Result

Recent News

Auto Draft

Poson Poya

Seasonal Fruities in Our Island Nation

Seasonal Fruities in Our Island Nation

Poson and the Mihintale Season

Poson and the Mihintale Season

Explore Sri Lanka

Explore Sri Lanka Online, the web edition of Sri Lanka’s leading monthly corporate publication. Founded in 1996, the magazine currently has a distribution of over 6,000 copies island-wide.

Recent News

  • Poson Poya
  • Seasonal Fruities in Our Island Nation
  • Poson and the Mihintale Season

Find Us

Address : BT Options 536,
R. A. De Mel Mawatha,
Colombo 03,
Sri Lanka
(+94 11) 259 7991
(+94) 715 134 134
info@btoptions.com
btoptions.com

  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 Explore Sri Lanka | Designed by Lithic Labs

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Issues
    • 2022
      • January 2022
      • February 2022
      • March 2022
      • April 2022
      • May 2022
      • June 2022
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Archive

© 2022 Explore Sri Lanka | Designed by Lithic Labs

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In