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Journalism of Courage
The annual feast of a Hindu temple in Sri Lanka’s northwestern Chilaw town has been put on hold following a request from President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Kalimuthu Sivapathasunderam,the chief priest of the Sri Bhadra Kali Amman Kovil,said they would not hold the animal sacrifice ceremony scheduled for Saturday in view of the presidential request.
Rajapaksa,prior to his departure for Iran Wednesday for the NAM Summit,had asked that ceremony be not held during the ongoing exposition of the Kapilavastu Buddha relics. The exposition has been extended until September 17.
The Kapilavastu relics arrived from India on a request by Rajapaksa to Indian Premier Manmohan Singh.
Buddhist monks and animal rights groups had vowed to stage protest demonstrations at the Kovil site during the ceremony.
The monks led a protest march to the site last Sunday.
The Chilaw court on Tuesday had banned all protests in the vicinity of Kovil until a day after the ceremony.
