SL Army puts up military post, Buddhist chanting dominates Kanniyaa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 August 2019, 23:55 GMT]
The Sinhala Buddhist monks are playing the sound of Pirith through loudspeakers at the disputed heritage site of Kanniyaa Hot Wells round the clock. At the same time, occupying Sinhala Army soldiers of 221 Brigade have started to put up new military posts between the road arch and the Hot Wells. The Tamil visitors feel that the loud Pirith chanting was highly disturbing their visit to the place of geological heritage with Saivaist religious significance. SL Army and Sinhala officials attempted to block the Tamil journalists from taking photos and video. The SL Army and the officials who claimed to be the representatives of the Archaeology department tried to prevent the visiting Tamil journalists from taking pictures or videos of the locality. However, the ‘Archaeology’ officials withdrew from the site after the journalists demanded them to document their identity papers on Saturday.



The Tamil Hindu priest of Then-kayilai Aatheenam, Thavath-thiru Akaththiyar Adika'laar told TamilNet on Saturday that the Sinhala Buddhists were unrelenting in their attitude. They insist that the basement of the dismantled Pi'l'laiyaar temple was an ancient Buddhist chaitya, he said.

Mrs Ganesh Kokilaramany, the landowner and trustee of the Pi'l'laiyaar temple, said she had declined to attend a meeting with the extremist Sinhala Buddhists organised at Trincomalee Kachcheari a few days ago for a ‘peaceful’ resolution. It was not wise for the petitioner to engage in direct dialogue with the defendant when there is a court case, she said.

The group of people engaged in converting the resting place (Madam) of Pi'l'laiyaar temple into a small Siva temple want to hand over the Pi'l'laiyaar temple to Sinhala Buddhists and get their project recognised, she blamed.

Both the temple and the resting place are located in the lands that belong to Mrs Kokilaramany, who is also the trustee of the main temple.

The controversial outfit known as Raava'na cheanai has gained control over the trustee board of the Siva temple.

The Hindu priest said the group was working with his Aatheenam, which organised the annual Hindu ritual of Aadi Amaavaasai last year.

The intention of the group was not clear, and his Aatheenam ended the collaboration in February 2019 this year with the outfit, the priest said.

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