Protests against rebuilding temple in archaeological site

by Dinasena Rathugamage

The Tamil National Alliance Mullaitivu District politicians are protesting against the construction of a Buddhist temple at Bogaswewa near the Sapumalgaskada archaeological site. They claim that the area traditionally belongs to the Tamil people.

TNA Northern Provincial Council member elected from Mullaitivu District T. Raviharan says that the area belongs to Tamil people traditionally and it was known as Kachchcalsamalankulam.

The PC member says that Tamil people have been given paddy fields and they are cultivating them with water from the Kachchalsamalankulam tank; it is wrong for Buddhist monks to come there to construct a temple in an area which is predominantly Tamil. He says his party will raise objection in Parliament too.

The chief incumbent of the temple had secured the help of the security forces to make bricks using clay from the shrub jungle area and trees were being felled in nearby jungle to fire the bricks, PC member Raviharan said, adding that state officials responsible kept mum about the destruction being wreaked on the jungle.

A spokesman for the temple said that Sapumalgaskada area had been identified as a site of archaeological importance and there were ruins of Buddhist shrines, which were some thousands of years old and it was wrong to claim it was not a Buddhist site. The bhikkhus had only revived a temple close to the archaeological site, he said.