Tense situation at Kurundi temple as Buddhist and Hindu ceremonies compete

By Dinasena Ratugamage

A tense situation arose at the Kurundi Temple Complex, Mullaitivu, on Friday (18), when Buddhist and Hindu devotees held parallel events in close proximity to each other.

The Buddhist monks oraganised a three-day chanting of the Rathana Sutra, and Hindu priests planned a Pongal celebration around the same time.

A number of Buddhist devotees travelled from the South to attend the event.Heated exchange of words took place between the two groups and the police had to intervene.About 400 policemen were deployed at the scene to ensure that there was no violence.