Some time ago, there was a colossal stone in the neighborhood of Dendi Lake, surrounded by attention-grabbing chain of mountains for quite a lot of decades. The stone had been there in the abovementioned area for many years. Be that as it may, once upon a time, something unexpected took place.
The thing was, at the stroke of a pen the stone put in an appearance to Dendi Saint Marry Church rolling down the mountain. On its way to the churchyard, the stone took the life of someone without warning. After pertinent bodies took council on the subject of the issue, they reached an agreement to take the stone into custody on the premises of the church.
They wanted to convey to the communities residing in the length and breadth of the locality a punitive measure awaits an offender. They believed the measure would serve as a wakeup call to others not to follow suit.
At the end of the day, the stone has been tied to a tree by the main gate of the church for decades. The story of the criminal stone is the talk of most people in the locality.
In fact, all and sundry are on familiar terms with the story of the criminal stone which has helped the communities of the locality to distance themselves from involving in crime and other related activities. To the surprise of everyone, the church is safeguarded by bees.
Taking the active guarding and stinging strategies of the bees’ housed on top of the church into consideration, nobody can commit a crime in the churchyard. Ifsomebody puts in an appearance to the church with mischievous sprite, he/she will not stay in the church for a fraction of a second seeing that the bees embark on attacking such an individual in the blink of an eye.
By no means, they will not attack innocent people. During the Derg regime a Woreda administrator was appointed in Dendi. Everybody was expecting he would do something for the refurbishment of the prehistoric church.
At one point, somebody asked him what he would do for the church. “I would rather convert the church into a storehouse. I will not renew the church,” answered the man. At the stroke of a pen, the bees attached the man and killed him.
This way, day in and day out, the bees guard the church on a regular basis. If somebody makes an effort to do something on the church, the bees take measures within the shortest time. Before the completion of the church, the replica of the Ark of the Covenant was placed in one of the three two storey houses made of mud. The wife of Fitawirari Habte Giyorgis Dinagde was living in one of the houses. The church was established by Fitawirari Habte Giyorgis Dinagde.
He was one of the famous Ethiopian government officials apart from serving as president of the council of ministers and minster of war at some stage in the regimes of Menelik II, Iyasu V, and Zewditu I and Haile Selassie. Apart from getting himself involved in quite a lot of battles, he was known for his wisdom and military skills.
The church is very unique. The church is surrounded by more than a few windows. The inside of the church is bedecked with eye-catching pictures of saints and angels images which are the first of their kinds. But at this point in time, the pictures are fading. The pictures of saints and angels images cannot be found in other churches of the country.
They are original ones. Unfortunately, this historic church is in troubled waters. Though it is an ancient one, it could not yet see completion. The church could not get anyone who would renew and rescue it from the trouble shackling its hands and feet. The church needs someone who would make the dream of Fitawirari Habte Giyorgis become a reality.
The roof of the church is subject to leaking. As such the paintings of the church are in the process of fading. In the meantime, the museum of Fitawirari Habte Giyorgis located in the heart of Dendi is not in good shape and form.
The physical state of the historic museum is heartbreaking. Most people do not even know its where abouts. Despondently, there is no a single property of Fitawirari Habte Giyorgis left in the museum.
At this moment in time, it is being used for sheltering livestock of farmers’ of the locality. To cut a long story short, the museum is surrounded by donkeys, cows and oxen. When I was at a loss to do, I approached Benti Lemi, Head of Dendi Woreda Cultural and Tourism Bureau head.
He said, “In this area, I was able to see quite a lot of things. Above and beyond, when I saw the palace, I really got very mad. If the palace had been handled cautiously, the resident of the area would have secured a lot of income. I really felt very sad. My heart is broken.
He went on to say, all and sundry should return anything which belongs to Fitawirari Habte Giyorgis. In point of fact, individuals may consider the king’s bits and pieces as ordinary materials. But the history behind each property has a big place in history in addition to serving as a source of income for the community without a shadow of a doubt.
He added, “Owing to unforeseen reasons the administration of the Woreda was not able to come today. As I have visited firsthand the nitty-gritty of Fitawirari Habte Giyorgis’s palace, I will make an effort to do something in this regard. As it takes eight kilometers from Boda to Dendi, if we all work hand-in-glove, we can get to the bottom of problems revolving around roads. To this point, I have been attaching significance to historic caves, forests, and fountains, among others.”
Aberea Taddesse is head of Oromia Culture and Tourism Bureau Tourist Destinations Development Head. He said, the existing situation of the palace has really broken my heart.
I have seen everything with my very own eyes. We need to keep this heritage like an apple of one’s eye. We make an effort over and over again but in vain. I realized that we did not get ourselves fully involved in the development sector.
The whole thing will not be achieved shortly. It needs sometime. The road needs a lot of people to partake in this regard. As much as I can, in collaboration with other pertinent bodies ,we will endeavor to do something which enables the palace to serve as one of the tourist attractions of the locality.
Herald March 24/2019
BY ADDISALEM MULAT
