Thousands throng ’Ketheeswaram temple:

Indian artistes perform at Mahasivarathri

Artistes from India performed yesterday for the first time in three decades at the historical Thiruke-theeswaram Sivan Temple in Mannar on Sivarathri night.

The Indian High Commission in Colombo along with the All Ceylon Hindu Congress made arrangements for the Indian artistes to take part in the Sivarathri festival at Thiruketheeswaram, Mannar. The Indian artistes, Shrimathi Vijayalakshmi and Shrimathi Meenakshi Srinivasan, renowned devotional musicians from India performed in a highly venerated Hindu shrine in the North, for the first time since the war ended .

The General Secretary of the All Ceylon Hindu Congress Kandiah Neelakandan told the Sunday Observer that on the directive of Senior Advisor to the President and the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force for Resettlement, Development and Security in the Northern Province Basil Rajapaksa, the Governor of the Northern Province Maj. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri provided all facilities in the Mannar region by constructing roads and bridges to facilitate the Hindu devotees to have access to the Thiruketheeswaram temple without any hindrance. Thousands of Hindu devotees from the Jaffna peninsula travelled to Thiruketheeswaram via the A-9 highway through Vavuniya and A-36 highway through Pooneryn.

Students from some of the leading schools in the peninsula also travelled to Thiruketheeswaram for the first time in thirty years, Neelankandan said.AP