Amidst rising insecurity in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), indigenous Buddhist monks have announced the cancellation of this year’s Kathin Chibar Dan (Kathina Robe Offering), one of the community’s largest annual religious festivals in the region.
The announcement was made on Sunday afternoon at the Maitri Bouddha Vihar in the Rangamati hill district, where the monks cited the deteriorating situation in CHT as the primary reason for calling off the festival, which was originally scheduled for early November.
During a press conference, the monks expressed their concerns, accusing law enforcement agencies of being complicit, both directly and indirectly, in the ongoing violence in CHT. They criticized the authorities for failing to bring any perpetrators of communal attacks to justice, despite the formation of investigation committees, which they said have yielded no results.
Shraddhalankar Mahathero, President of the Parbatya Bhikshu Sangha, declared that no Kathin Chibar Dan ceremonies would take place in any temple across the CHT this year due to the prevailing insecurity.
In a written statement, Mahathero described recent incidents of violence between September 18-20 and October 1, where hundreds of shops belonging to indigenous communities were vandalized, looted, and set ablaze by settlers in the Khagrachari and Rangamati hill districts. Four indigenous individuals, including a student, were brutally killed in these attacks. Additionally, Buddha statues were desecrated, and donation boxes in Buddhist temples were looted.
Kathin Chibar Dan is a centuries-old religious festival where Buddhist devotees offer handwoven robes, or "Chibar," to monks. These robes are made overnight by devotees, signifying the effort and devotion behind the tradition. The festival was introduced about 2,500 years ago by Bishakha, a nurse of Gautama Buddha. It marks the end of a three-month seclusion period for monks, who retreat to their monasteries for meditation, self-purification, and reflection on humanity. The festival follows another significant event, Probarona Purnima, which features the release of sky lanterns.
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