Desecration of Sivalingam by SL Archaeology Department sparks tension in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 March 2019, 11:09 GMT]
The Tamil Saivites in the east port city erected a Shivalinga statue along the path to the Hindu shrine of Trincomalee on Thursday as part of the annual observation of Maha Shivaratri festival. However, sections of Sinhala extremists with the backing of the SL Department of Archaeology and the Sinhala police have desecrated the statue in the early hours of Friday. The board of trustees of the historic temple have urged the SL Department of Archaeology, which was causing the dispute by claiming the location as falling under its domain, to tolerate the presence of the statue during the observation of Maha Shivaratri. Tension prevails at the locality as the hostile Sinhala extremist sections have started to demand installation of a Buddha statue near the Hindu shrine.



Some shop owners at the locality have witnessed that it was the personnel of the SL Archaeology Department who were behind the desecration, legal sources said.

The SL Minister of ‘National Dialogue’ Mano Ganesan has admitted that the SL Police was also blamed for the demolition of the Siva-linga statue in front of the free-meal hall at the Hindu temple of Trincomalee.

Furthermore, the Tamil minister has also recognised that there were widespread allegations that the SL Archaeology Department was engaging in the desecration of the historic shrine in Trincomalee.

The ‘Dialogue’ minister was hoping that a visit by him to the shrine would send a warning to the disturbing elements.



However, Tamil journalists in the east port city said the Sinhala extremists were operating with the backing from powerful monks and the ministers in the UNP government as well as the SL Governor, who has been appointed by the SL President Maithiripala Sirisena.

Mr Ganesan should first initiate a direct ‘dialogue’ with the Buddhist monks and make the Buddhist Establishment to condemn the desecration of the Hindu temple openly, the management board members of the Trincomalee shrine commented.

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