2948 places of worship destroyed in war, tsunami

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 January 2006, 16:02 GMT]
2948 places of worships of all faiths have been destroyed in the island due to two-decade-old war and tsunami disaster in the year 2004, according to the report prepared by the Resettlement Ministry. A sum of Rupees 2538 million is needed for the reconstruction of these places of worships, according to a report submitted by the ministry to the Cabinet, sources said.

Due to war 2420 places of worships were destroyed. Of them 1479 were Hindu temples, 475 churches, 301 mosques and 165 Buddhist shrines, report added.

About 528 places of worship were destroyed in tsunami. Of them 300 were Hindu temples, 97 mosques, 35 churches and 96 Buddhist shrines, the report said.

Relevant authorities are studying the report and a decision to allocate necessary funds would be taken at the next Cabinet meeting, said Media Minister Mr.Anura Priyadarshana Yapa at a press briefing held last week.