Nallur festival marred by SLA vehicles on temple streets

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 August 2005, 13:47 GMT]
Behind the cover of recently imposed Emergency Regulations, the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) vehicles have been forcing their way into the streets surrounding the Nallur Kandaswamy temple and incoveniencing devotees, disturbing the spiritual atmosphere that traditionally marks the temple festival, residents in Nallur said.

Devotees were perturbed on Saturday when SLA vehicles with armed troops roamed close to the temple during times of poojas and rituals, temple administrators said.

Roads in the immediate vicinity of the temple are setup with barriers with the persmission of the Jaffna Transport authority and volunteers man the barriers to stop vehicles from entering the temple area during the 27 day festivals. Devotees use the enclosed area to fulfil vows including rolling prostrate around the temple. Volunteers sprinkle water throughout the temple premises including the roads every morning.