How Mohamed Saheer Zuhair became Rajagiriye Chandakiththi

How Mohamed Saheer Zuhair became Rajagiriye Chandakiththi

The moment we hear the name Aranayaka Samasara Kanda what comes to our mind is the hill which was involved in the landslide which incident preyed on a number of lives. However, what we are about to hear now is a different type of story about this same Samasara Kanda. It is an incident which erects a fence to national unity that

is seen eroding these days.

Last 3rd most people gathered at Moragammana Sheera Mayurapaada Vihara in Aranayaka (which lays at the foot of Samasara Kanda) for the purpose of participating in the pinkama of admitting a child to the sasana. But that pinkama carried a uniqueness unlike on any other day. It was that on that particular day it was a Muslim child who entered the sasana with sounds of "Sadu ... sadu!" heard right round. In this instance it was a 10  year old child of Muslim nationality by the name of Mohamed Sameer Zuhair living in Madinnagoda, Rajagiriya. Mohamed Sameer Zuhair thus became a monk under the name Rajagiriye Chandakiththi.

Mohamed Sameer was the youngest in a family of 2 children and he also had an elder brother. Parents of Mohamed Sameer were Mohamed Zueer Bizamdeen and Chitra Seemani Oliver and Sameer was born at Borella Castle Lady Ridgeway Hospital on 12th April, 2007. Sameer's father was of Islamic faith while the mother was a Sinhala lady. The two of them who lived in Arunalu Uyana, Arunodaya Mawatha in Obeysekerapura, Rajagiriya were the parents of 2 boys. Sameer the youngest in the family had been living with his father and mother. On 2th March, 2013 he was admitted to V/Giriulla/Nalawalana Junior College. He had his education there in the Sinhala medium. When undergoing studies in that school for a period of about 1 year Sameer had to put a full stop to his schooling on 11th February 2014 when his mother and father came to reside in a different area.

However it was pathetic to the mother that it was the very place where their sons started their education became the spot which was subjected to the landslide. Her thoughts began to run hither and thither and ultimately she went to meet a thera at a temple in Nawala area and asked his help to provide an environment conducive to his studies. As a result of her plea Sameera got the opportunity to remain at the temple on that very occasion. Having made Sameera remain in the temple, his mother thus came home. Sameera who remained in the temple for about a week afterwards came in search of his mother saying that he does not want to remain there in that temple. It was during this period that Chitra Seemani who was adamant in teaching her son meets Thera Jamburewela Chandraratna and that was at a vihara in Colombo. On that occasion she unravels all particulars concerning her son, to Chandraratna Thera.The thera gives ear to everything she says most calmly and suggests to her to have her son enter the sasana. Chitra Seemani gives her consent to Chandraratna Thera's suggestion instantly but she is not in a position to give an immediate reply to it because she does not know what her husband, the child's father would respond in this connection. But Nizamdeen too does not give a negative response either. Accordingly, the parents then volunteer to have their 10 year old son handed over to the sasana.

Thus, Chandraratna Thera accompanies small Sameera from Colombo to meet his mentor Thera Puwakmote Dhammaratana at Shree Mayurapada Rajamaha Vihara in Moragammana, Aranayaka. The Moragammana Shree Mayurapaada Rajamaha Vihara is the location which is situated near the small stream at the foot of Aranayaka Samasara Kanda which is the historic location where Buddhaputra Nayaka Thera who authored Poojavaliya happened to reside. It is Kegalla Siyambalapitiya Ashokaramadhipathi Pujya Shastravedi Dhammarama Thera who now functions as the chief incumbent of this vihara which comprises of a monastery erected on pillars and a Buddha shrine room.

On his instructions and guidance, preparations were made for Sameer to enter the sasana. A few days before last Il Poya, 3 children including Sameer were ordained in a celebrated manner. It was the ordination of Islamic national Mohamed Sameer's ordination which caught the eye of most people at this religious ceremony. The small samanera who entered the sasana under the name Rajagiriye Chandakiththi as a disciple of Puwakmote Dhammarathana Thera presently receives his education at Polambegoda Shri Sudarshanarama Pirivena.

The couple Mohamed Zuhair Nizamdeen and Chitra Seemani Oliver who bestowed their son to the sasana had this to say regarding it: "We don't have a stable job as such. There's not even a house to call our own. We live on rent here and there. For a short period of time we were at an estate at Negombo Makandura. Eldest son of course is at husband's elder sister's house. The younger son was with us. We suffered a lot not being able to put him into a school. It was during such circumstances that we met Chandraratna Thera. It's a great happiness to see our son as a bhikku today because of that thera. We also have trust that son will some day come to a good level".

We came across Viharadhikari Puwakmote Dhammarathana Thera of Shree Mayurapaada Rajamaha Vihara too who paved this special opportunity. What he told us was that he who is dedicated for progress of the sasana as a Buddha-son has no discrimination of race, religion, caste. "From whatever race or region he comes from ... if he embraces the Buddha dhamma; it's our duty to impart about knowledge of the dhamma. There's no big difference in this village where Sinhala and Muslim people live in co-operation for having ordained a child of Islamic faith. From those days itself everyone in this village lived with the temple. I ordained 3 children with this Islamic child. These 4 samaneras Chandananda, Chandiwimala, Dhammadassi and Chandakiththi must be given a good education. I look forward to ordain several other children in the future.