"I am Kali. I am your mother," said Dhammika Bandara, the individual who produced the so-called cure for COVID19, to the chief prelate of the Atamasthanaya, in Anuradhapura.

Bandara claimed he was Kali, a goddess worshipped in the Hindu tradition, when he was denied access to the Sri Maha Bodhi, one of the most sacred religious places in Anuradhapura. The man said he wanted to offer his so-called local cure to the Sri Maha Bodhi - a sacred Bo tree worshipped by Buddhists worldwide for nearly 2500 years.

A heated situation took place at the scene as the man yelled at the chief prelate of the Anuradhapura whilst explaining the importance of his "medicine".

He said he produced the cure to save the world from the global pandemic.

Dhammika Bandara has received patronage from the Sri Lankan government as Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has instructed health experts to expedite their research on the efficacy of the local cure.

However, Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama — one of the top physicians in the country and the head of IDH, the main treatment centre for COVID19 patients in Sri Lanka — said talking about the purported local cure was an utter waste of time. Many qualified doctors and researchers have expressed similar sentiments about the medicine.

Many Ayurvedic doctors have also raised concerns about the purported local cure and Bandara's credentials as an "indegenious doctor".