’Trincomalee Hindu temple lands encroached’

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 July 2003, 18:32 GMT]
The Trincomalee District Young Men Hindu Association (TDYMHA) Tuesday brought to the notice of the Hindu Religious Affairs Minister of Sri Lanka that lands belonging to several Hindu temples in the Trincomalee district are being unlawfully occupied by members of the majority community of the country, thus depriving the income from the lands to these temples, sources said

The general secretary of the TDYMHA, Mr.C.Sivapathasundaram, gave detailed accounts of such temples in the presence of the Hindu Religious Affairs Minister, Mr. T.Maheswaran, who attended an event Tuesday at Trincomalee Pathirakali Ambal Wedding Hall and handed over cheques to managements of fifty-two Hindu temples and Hindu religious institutions in the Trincomalee district. A sum of two million rupees was handed out to the temples, sources said.

Mr.Sivapathasundaram said lands of the Trincomalee Madathady historic Veerakathy Pilliayar Temple have been encroached by majority community members. “Peace will not come to Madathady area in Trincomalee, even though peace prevails elsewhere in the island, due to this encroachment of Hindu temple lands,” he stressed.

He added that lands of Hindu temples from Sinnathoduwai Pilliayar Temple in Trincomalee town to several temples in Nilaveli north of the eastern port city have been encroached by Sinhalese people.

Mr. Sivapathasuntharam pointed out to the Minister that the lands used by Hindu temples for water-cutting ceremonies in the Trincomalee Back bay seashore of Kottukinatady- Uyanthapadu for several centuries are in the hands of the majority community. They have put a settlement called ‘Samudragama.’

He requested the minister to take immediate steps to declare the historic Koneswaram temple a sacred area.

Trinco Pathirakaliamman temple chief priest Brammasiri S.Ravichandrakurukkal blessing the event. (L-R) Minister Maheswaran, Ministry's additional secretary Mr.K.Paramalingam, Provincial governor's secretary Mr.S.Amirthalingam, Trincomalee Divisional Secretary Mr.S.Arumainayagam, Pulavar V.Somaskanda Iyer.

Mr.K.Paramalingam, the additional secretary to the Hindu Religious Affairs Ministry, said that about four thousand Hindu temples and religious institutions have been completely destroyed or damaged in the war. He added that his Ministry has taken steps to reconstruct these temples and uplift the living standard of Hindus.

Minister Maheswaran said that, this year his ministry is to get one hundred million rupees for renovating destroyed Hindu temples in the Northeast province. Of that amount, about fifty million rupees have already been released to his ministry.

Trincomalee Divisional Secretary, Mr. Sundaram Arumainayagam, presided over the event. The chief priest of the Trincomalee Pathirakali Ambal Temple, Bramasiri S.Ravichandrakurukkal, blessed the occasion, sources said.