The Chittagong Hill Tracts Combined Bhikkhu Sangha has announced the suspension of this year’s “Kathin Chibor Dan” (Kathina Robe Offering) ceremony in Rangamati, Khagrachari, and Bandarban due to the prevailing unrest and security concerns in the region.
Venerable Shraddhalankar Mahathero, president of the Parbatya Bhikkhu Sangha, made the announcement during a press conference at the Maitri Buddhist Bihar in Rangamati city on Sunday afternoon.
In a written statement, Venerable Shraddhalankar Mahathero cited communal violence that erupted between September 18-20 and again on October 1 in Khagrachari and Rangamati, which led to the destruction of over 100 shops.
The violence also saw shops being looted, set ablaze, and left several dead.
Four people were killed in clashes with law enforcement during the unrest.
Several Buddhist temples and statues were vandalized, and donation boxes looted during the attacks.
He further alleged that these acts of violence were carried out with direct and indirect complicity of law enforcement agencies.
"So far, no fair investigation has been conducted, and the trials of these communal attacks remain elusive. The government’s public inquiry committees often fail to deliver justice, and the incidents are repeatedly covered up through these ineffective investigation panels," he said.
He said, the Bhikkhu Sangha and the Buddhist community, are deeply concerned and anxious over the prevailing situation, and a sense of insecurity looms large.
In such an uncertain and unsafe environment, the Buddhist community in the Chittagong Hill Tracts feels no enthusiasm to organize this year's “Kathin Chibor Dan” ceremony.
After consultations between monks and worshippers, a unanimous decision was made to cancel this year’s ceremony.
“Kathin Chibor Dan” is a significant Buddhist ceremony during which monks receive Chibor, or religious robes. According to Buddhist teachings, this is considered one of the highest forms of almsgiving.
The historical roots of this ceremony are found in the “Vinaya Pitaka” (the first of three parts of the Tipitaka). While the Buddha resided at Jetavana Vihar in Shravasti, a group of 30 monks arrived with tattered robes. At that time, monks would collect discarded cloth from cemeteries, streets, and rubbish heaps to make their robes.
The Buddha allowed them to celebrate the Kathina ceremony, with specific rules such as only monks who have completed the rains retreat being eligible to receive a Kathina robe.
