500 Hindu temples damaged in North during war with LTTE

Last Updated: Tuesday, July 06, 2010, 16:12

Tags: Hindu temples, damage, Sri Lanka, war, LTTE

Colombo: More than 500 Hindu temples in Sri Lanka were damaged during the war with LTTE and the Tamil National Alliance has demanded that these be reconstructed.

More than 500 Hindu temples in Sri Lanka were damaged during the war with LTTE and the Tamil National Alliance has demanded that these be reconstructed.

Voicing the demand to renovate the temples, TNA's leaser S Yogeshwaran said in the country's Parliament that many Hindu Kovils (temples) in the North and East were damaged during the time of military operations.

More than 500 such Kovils need to be reconstructed, he said

Yogeshwaran also told the House that there were about 1,543 Hindu Daham Schools in Sri Lanka and teachers there were undertaking classes voluntarily and that they should be given a payment by the government.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Prime Minister D M Jayarathne said foreign aid will also be obtained to develop religious places in north and east provinces in addition to government allocations.

Renovating of religious places in those provinces will be initiated soon, he said.

The premier was speaking at the committee stage debate on Islamic religious affairs held at the Parliament complex.

It may be recalled that in July last year, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad at a meeting in India had urged the Sri Lankan government to reconstruct the temples damaged during the war with the LTTE.

PTI

First Published: Tuesday, July 06, 2010, 16:12