(MENAFN- EIN Presswire) Shiva temple complex entrance
Presidential Mansion
Presidential Mansion
The single-minded destruction of the last vestige of Hindu Heritage and Culture in Sri Lanka is being carried out inexorably by the Sri Lankan government
Who gave permission to destroy an ancient Hindu Temple to construct a presidential mansion?” - The Reverend Sakthivel WASHINGTON , DC, UNITED STATES, April 2, 2023/einpresswire.com / -- The current Sri Lankan government with the aid of the military is targeting the last bastion of the Hindu Culture, Heritage and Temples in the North and East of the country, after having destroyed approximately 1,800 Hindu Temples and heritage sites since independence in 1948.
It is with a deep sense of concern and urgency that we, in the Tamil Diaspora, note that a five-century old Shiva Temple, the Aathi Sivan Temple, situated in the most revered site of Keerimalai in the northern coast of Sri Lanka, had been destroyed under the cover of the military occupation. This news came to light only when civilians were allowed into this area for the first time after many years of army control following the conclusion of the civil war. In place of the demolished temple, a presidential mansion has been constructed, thereby desecrating the place where Hindus perform the last rites of their dead. It is also the place where ancient memorials for Yogi's were situated, adding to the sacrosanct nature and place for the Hindus in the entire country.
Dr Aru Thirumurugan, Vice President of the all ceylon hindu congress and the Rev Sakthivel, Coordinator of the Highland Social Research Center, among other religious dignitaries, collectively representing the majority of the Tamil sentiments in the country, have condemned the building of a presidential mansion on the sacred Hindu site of the demolished Shiva (Aathi Sivan) Temple. Included in this destruction is the memorial temple for Her Eminence Siddhar Sage Sadai Amma, the adjoining grave of Sankar Suppiah Swami, and the Kathiravelan (Karthikeya) Temple. Dr. Aru Thirumugan questions,
“What is the status of Aathi Sivan Temple, Sadai Amma Choultry, and Kathiravelan (Karthikeya) Temple?”. The Reverend Sakthivel demands an answer to,
“Who gave permission to destroy an ancient Hindu Temple to construct a presidential mansion?"
Honorable Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi visited the nearby naguleswaram Shiva Temple, and performed Puja during his 2015 visit to Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Naguleswaram is one of the five Eswara temples (Shiva Linga) which existed prehistorically, bestowing particular sanctity to the entire area of the destroyed Shiva Temple.
The single-minded destruction of the last vestige of Hindu Heritage and Culture in Sri Lanka is being carried out inexorably by the Sri Lankan government even as India and the international community of nations are bailing out Sri Lanka from its current economic bankruptcy.
Close on the heels of this latest sacrilege, the Sri Lankan government has classified the Hindu Holy site of the Kinniya hot springs in the Eastern Trincomalee port city as connected to the Southern city of Anuradhapura, and subjecting it to military control. Another Shiva Temple, Aathi Sivan Iyanar Temple, in Kurunthur Malai in the Mullaithivu district was destroyed recently. Even as we go to press, it is reported that the Aathi Lingam consecrated to the Lord Shiva was destroyed and the many idols such as those of Pillaiyar (Ganesh), the Mother Goddess Amman, and the village deity Bhairavar were stolen in the Vedukkunaari Malai Temple in the Vavuniya district.
Whilst we welcome the international aid to Sri Lanka, we fervently appeal to the donors to ensure that the Sri Lankan government is not using that aid to further their agenda of destroying the ancient Hindu Culture and Heritage of the country. We request the donors to insist on the Sri Lankan government to establish an interim International Protection Mechanism for the north-eastern region of the island to arrest the imminent extinction of the Hindu religious heritage.
Not only must there be a total restoration of the three Shiva Temples mentioned above, but also the restoration of all Hindu temples and sacred Hindu heritage sites that have been demolished in the North-East by the Sri Lankan authorities concomitant with the dispensation of any aid.
1. Australian Tamil Congress;
2. Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA);
3 Ilankai Tamil Sangam;
4. Tamil Americans United PAC;
5. Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam, Human Rights Ministry;
6. United States Tamil Action Group (USTAG);
7. World Thamil Organization; Tamil Diaspora Organizations
United States Tamil Action Group (USTAG)
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Keerimalai Naguleswaram Temple
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