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Cheap alms bowls imports hit Sri Lanka makers, monks

Published

6 months ago

2025/07/6

Buddhist monk Kirinde Assagi says many of the poor-quality alms bowls donated to the Gangaramaya temple are not fit to serve food in. Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP

AFP:The alms bowl is a symbol of monks, yet in Sri Lanka, artisans are struggling as cheap substitutes flood the market, igniting a debate over Buddhist tradition and quality.

The village of Panvila has long been associated with craftsmen who produce the humble “paathra”, the special bowl that forms part of the eight essentials donated to monks and which is used to ask for food.

Thenuwara Badalge Sarath, 65, says he is the only blacksmith left in a village that once supplied much of the country.

“When I learnt the craft from my father, there were more than 10 families in the neighbourhood who made these bowls,” Sarath told AFP, while hammering a piece of scrap metal into a holy utensil.

“Today, I am the only one keeping up the tradition. My son died recently in a road accident, and there is no one to carry on this line of work after I am gone,” said the fourth-generation craftsman.

He spends about a week producing a batch of five to six bowls from discarded steel barrels. He sells each for 600 rupees ($ 2), but competition from cheap imports is tough.

“There are aluminium bowls that come from abroad. They are cheaper and lighter – we can’t compete,” Sarath said at his village smithy, near the southern tourist resort of Hikkaduwa.

The Buddhist-majority nation of some 22 million people has just over 42,000 monks, but the demand for bowls is disproportionately high because of the positive karma attached to offering them to temples.

Kirinde Assagi, a leading Buddhist monk, said the alms bowl forms part of the eight items for a monk to lead an ascetic life and spread the teachings of Buddha, along with two robes, a razor, a straining cloth, a needle and thread, and a belt.

“The bowl is his livelihood. When a monk goes out begging with his bowl, he gets sustenance,” Assagi said.

“Because gifting ‘ata pirikara’ to monks brings enormous good karma, devotees clamour to donate this,” said the monk, in reference to the eight-item package.

At his Gangaramaya temple in the capital Colombo there were nine such packages donated within an hour one weekend.

Assagi says most of the bowls however are of poor quality, made out of aluminium and unfit to serve food in.

In a storeroom at the back of his temple, there is a huge pile of bowls that monks say are not suitable even for offering food to household pets.

“I will show you a mountain of begging bowls that we have discarded. We make holes at the bottom and repurpose them for potted plants.”

Monks in Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos traditionally seek alms every morning, underscoring their simple life and demonstrating that their livelihood depends on others.

But the influx of cheap bowls is impacting the dawn ritual.

“We see the practice of monks begging slowly dying off as the quality of the bowls goes down,” he said.

The Gangaramaya temple in Colombo has campaigned to improve the quality of utensils offered to monks and revive the ritual of seeking alms.

Assagi said the Thai royal family has in recent years gifted more than 27,000 high quality stainless steel bowls to Sri Lankan monks, most of whom are followers of the Siam sect of Buddhism practised in that nation.

Unlike the financially well-off Gangaramaya, smaller temples are known to sell their excess bowls back to the market in a move that undermines traditional craftsmen such as Sarath.

“When the bowls go back to the shop from a temple, we find it difficult to sell our produce,” Sarath said. He is trying to convince devotees that there is less merit in offering bowls that are being re-gifted.

By AMAL JAYASINGHE ✍️

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Landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Badulla, Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya

Published

8 hours ago

2026/01/8

Priyan

The Landslide Early Warning Center of the National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] has issued landslide early warnings to the districts of Badulla, Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya for the next 24 hours commencing at 1200hrs today [08]

Accordingly
LEVEL II AMBER landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Ududumbara in the Kandy District, Wilgamuwa in the Matale District, and Nildandahinna and Walapane in the Nuwara Eliya District.

LEVEL I YELLOW landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Meegahakiwula, Welimada, Kandaketiya, Lunugala, Badulla, Passara, Uva Paranagama and Hali_Ela in the Badulla District, Ambanganga Korale in the Matale District, and Mathurata and Hanguranketha in the Nuwara Eliya District.

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Warning for deep depression over South-east Bay of Bengal Sea area

Published

14 hours ago

2026/01/8

Priyan

Deep depression Track. [Source: RSMC]

Warning for deep depression over South-east Bay of Bengal Sea area.
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre, Department of Meteorology at 10.30 a.m. on 08 January 2026 for the period until 10.30 a.m. 09 January 2026

The depression in the Bay of Bengal to the southeast of Sri Lanka has intensified into a deep depression and is centered near latitude 5.4°N and longitude 85.3°E, about 420 km southeast of Pottuvil at 05.30 a.m. today (08th). The above system is currently (10:00 a.m.) located about 300 km southeast of Pottuvil.

It is very likely to move west-northwestwards across the southwest Bay of Bengal and cross the Sri Lanka coast between Hambantota and Kalmunai between 5.30 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. on Friday [9th January 2026].

Hence, showery, and windy condition over the island, particularly in the Northern, NorthCentral, Eastern, Uva and Central provinces is expected to enhance from today (08th).

For the Land area:

DAMAGE EXPECTED:
• Damage to huts, temporary shelters and light structures
• Destroy the roof tops/ sheets etc.
• Damage to power and communication lines.
• Breaking of tree branches and uprooting of large avenue trees.
• Damage to paddy crops, banana, papaya trees and orchards.
• Damage to harbor yachts
• Flash flood
• Sea water inundation in low lying areas in the near coast.

Action suggested for the Land area:
• Coastal hutment dwellers are advised to move to safer places. Other people in the affected areas to remain indoors.
• People living in hilly areas (particularly landslide prone areas) and low lying areas in river basins are requested to be vigilant.
• Drivers and people using roads in the hilly areas are requested to be vigilant.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• General public is requested to be vigilant regarding impending extreme weather situation.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
• Requested to be attentive about future advisories issued by the Department of Meteorology in this regard.

Latest News

Showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Eastern and Uva provinces and showers about 50-75 mm in other areas

Published

19 hours ago

2026/01/8

Priyan

WEATHER FORECAST FOR 08 JANUARY 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 08 January 2026 by the Department of Meteorology

The depression over the Bay of Bengal, located to the southeast of Sri Lanka, was centered near latitude 5.3°N and longitude 86.0°E, about 490 km southeast of Pottuvil, at 11:30 p.m. yesterday (07). It is expected to move west-northwestwards and towards the eastern coast of the island during next 24 hours. This system is likely to intensify further into a deep depression during the next 12 hours.

Cloudy skies can be expected over most parts of the island.
Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in the Northern, North-central, Eastern, Uva, Central and Southern provinces. Showers or thundershowers may occur at several places elsewhere in the Island after 1.00 p.m. Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Eastern and Uva provinces. Fairly Heavy showers about (50 – 75) mm are likely at some places in the other areas of the island.

Strong winds about (50-60) kmph can be expected at times over the Eastern slopes of the central hills, the Northern, North-central, North-western and Eastern provinces and in Hambantota, Gampaha, Colombo and Monaragala districts.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.