Vibrant cultural, spiritual revival in North - Indian HC

Sandasen Marasinghe

Indian High Commissioner Ashok K Kantha yesterday said that the cultural and spiritual revival taking place in the North of Sri Lanka is vibrant in addition to the rehabilitation, resettlement and reconstruction work of the government of Sri Lanka.

He made this observation at the ceremony held to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the High Commission of India and Thiruketheeswaram Temple Restoration Society for the Thiruketheeswaram Temple in Mannar. The joint declaration issued during the state visit of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to India in June 2010 had welcomed the proposal for the restoration of the Thiruketheeswaram temple.

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa stated that he had little knowledge about the Thiruketheeswaram Temple in Mannar at the outset. But he was told of it by the members of the Hindu Congress in Colombo and then visited the temple. It was later developed before Mahasivarathri Day as a project under Uthuru Wasanthaya Programme.

Northern Province Governor Major General G A Chandrasiri also spoke on the occasion. Milinda Moragoda, Archaeology Commissioner Senarath Dissanayake and members of Board of Trustees of the Thiruketheeswaram temple Kandaih Neelakandan, S Subramanium Chettiar, V Kailasapillai and Thavayogarajan also participated.