The access road to the Madhu Shrine which was liberated from the LTTE terrorists after 30 years will be commissioned on August 14 on orders of leader Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The annual Madhu Church festival will be held on August 14 and 15, for the first time after eliminating totally terrorism in the North. Therefore, this chance would advantage thousands of pilgrims attendance the feast from a variety of parts of the country, a Spokesman from the Highways and Road Development Ministry told the Daily News.
The construction work on the main road heading to the holy Shrine has already been completed as an a accelerated project by the Government at a cost of Rs.132 million.
Accordingly, the make bigger of road from Puliyadirakkam to Madhu Shrine (11km) on the Medawachchiya-Mannar-Thalaimannar main road ( A14) has been broaden upto six meters.
In addition to the main right of entry road to the Madhu Shrine, three by-roads including the march road (0.85km),interior road (3km) and circular road (4km) within and approximately the Madhu Shrine had also been reconstructed under the management of the Highways and Road Development Ministry and Road Development Authority, he said.
The renovation had been carried out by five restricted contractors.
The Government will rebuild the roads within the region of Madhu Shrine previous to the pilgrimage begins.
Courtesy: Daily News
Showing posts with label madhu church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label madhu church. Show all posts
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Madhu shrine opens from August 12 to 17
The Government will open the Madhu Church for devotees from August 12 to 17.
During this period 200 devotees will be daily given an opportunity to worship the statue of Our Lady of Madhu replaced in her abode in the church only at noon.
After the liberation of the Madhu Church from the clutches of terrorists, de-mining has been carried out in a limited area in the vicinity of the church and this has caused the Government to limit the number of devotees visiting the church.
The Security Forces will also provide food and other facilities to the devotees worshipping the Madhu Shrine.
The devotees are expected to extend their fullest co-operation to the relevant authorities there.
Courtesy: Daily News
During this period 200 devotees will be daily given an opportunity to worship the statue of Our Lady of Madhu replaced in her abode in the church only at noon.
After the liberation of the Madhu Church from the clutches of terrorists, de-mining has been carried out in a limited area in the vicinity of the church and this has caused the Government to limit the number of devotees visiting the church.
The Security Forces will also provide food and other facilities to the devotees worshipping the Madhu Shrine.
The devotees are expected to extend their fullest co-operation to the relevant authorities there.
Courtesy: Daily News
Monday, April 28, 2008
For God's sake- The Island editorial on Madhu Liberation
It is heartening that a programme is now underway to demilitarize the Madu Church at long last. The liberation of that holy shrine from the clutches of a bunch of criminals who had turned it into an unholy fortress has brought relief not only to the Catholic community in this country but also to all Sri Lankans who treasure it as a national asset.
Those who claimed that the Madu shrine was free from the LTTE presence stand exposed for their diabolical lies. Well fortified bunkers, trenches and other tell-tale marks demonstrate that the Tigers had launched offensives against the army from the Madhu precincts in a bid to have the shrine destroyed in retaliatory fire.
Stepping into a place of worship is an enlightening experience. The army may have realised from its successful operation that took Madhu back safely that it could defeat terrorism in a similar manner. The Madhu battle also demonstrated the daunting task that a professional army is faced with in confronting a band of terrorists who enjoy unbridled freedom to achieve their objective even at the expense of a much venerated shrine. Sadly, even some priests betrayed their bias for the LTTE. A section of the media is clutching at the proverbial straw claiming that the army has taken back a hollow shrine without a hallowed statue. A similar argument was peddled when Jaffna was recaptured in 1995. It was claimed that the army had taken a ghost town and its victory was not worth its trouble. But, after sometime the forcibly evicted people returned - that forcible eviction didn't trigger an angry reaction from human rights activists in Colombo! - and Jaffna came alive. Likewise, the statue of Our Lady is bound to return to its venerated abode, sooner or later.
The Tigers have proved once again that they are no respecters of religions. They have perpetrated heinous acts of terror against places of worship and the clergy, as we pointed out on Feb. 14 in the aftermath of its shell attack on the Thallady camp. They mowed down scores of Buddhist devotees in Anuradhapura in 1985 and gunned down 33 young Buddhist monks at Arantalawa in 1987. In 1998, they bombed the Sri Dalada Maligawa, the most venerated Buddhist shrine in this country. Among the crimes the LTTE has committed against Muslims includes the massacres inside two mosques at Eravur and Kaththankudy in 1990. Hundreds of Muslims were shot and hacked to death while they were praying. Last year, the Tigers killed a kurukkal in the Eastern Province as he had blessed President Mahinda Rajapaksa during his visit to the East. This year began with a crime the LTTE committed inside a kovil in Colombo, where UNP MP T. Maheswaran was shot dead in cold blood.
Therefore, those who support, in any way, an outfit which doesn't hesitate to sacrifice anything human or divine on the altar of terrorism are making a disservice not only to this country and her people abhorring terrorism but also mankind. The LTTE is driven by the same fanatical terror as the al queda-Taliban combine that brought down the world famous Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan.
None will be safe from the LTTE being encircled in the Wanni. Prabhakaran's desperation knows no bounds. Those whom God wishes to destroy, they say, he first makes mad. He doesn't need anyone else to destroy him. He is his own enemy!
Now that the Madhu shrine has been secured, the onus is on the government to ensure its safety and preserve its sanctity. It must strictly be a demilitarized zone. Render unto God what's God's!
Those who claimed that the Madu shrine was free from the LTTE presence stand exposed for their diabolical lies. Well fortified bunkers, trenches and other tell-tale marks demonstrate that the Tigers had launched offensives against the army from the Madhu precincts in a bid to have the shrine destroyed in retaliatory fire.
Stepping into a place of worship is an enlightening experience. The army may have realised from its successful operation that took Madhu back safely that it could defeat terrorism in a similar manner. The Madhu battle also demonstrated the daunting task that a professional army is faced with in confronting a band of terrorists who enjoy unbridled freedom to achieve their objective even at the expense of a much venerated shrine. Sadly, even some priests betrayed their bias for the LTTE. A section of the media is clutching at the proverbial straw claiming that the army has taken back a hollow shrine without a hallowed statue. A similar argument was peddled when Jaffna was recaptured in 1995. It was claimed that the army had taken a ghost town and its victory was not worth its trouble. But, after sometime the forcibly evicted people returned - that forcible eviction didn't trigger an angry reaction from human rights activists in Colombo! - and Jaffna came alive. Likewise, the statue of Our Lady is bound to return to its venerated abode, sooner or later.
The Tigers have proved once again that they are no respecters of religions. They have perpetrated heinous acts of terror against places of worship and the clergy, as we pointed out on Feb. 14 in the aftermath of its shell attack on the Thallady camp. They mowed down scores of Buddhist devotees in Anuradhapura in 1985 and gunned down 33 young Buddhist monks at Arantalawa in 1987. In 1998, they bombed the Sri Dalada Maligawa, the most venerated Buddhist shrine in this country. Among the crimes the LTTE has committed against Muslims includes the massacres inside two mosques at Eravur and Kaththankudy in 1990. Hundreds of Muslims were shot and hacked to death while they were praying. Last year, the Tigers killed a kurukkal in the Eastern Province as he had blessed President Mahinda Rajapaksa during his visit to the East. This year began with a crime the LTTE committed inside a kovil in Colombo, where UNP MP T. Maheswaran was shot dead in cold blood.
Therefore, those who support, in any way, an outfit which doesn't hesitate to sacrifice anything human or divine on the altar of terrorism are making a disservice not only to this country and her people abhorring terrorism but also mankind. The LTTE is driven by the same fanatical terror as the al queda-Taliban combine that brought down the world famous Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan.
None will be safe from the LTTE being encircled in the Wanni. Prabhakaran's desperation knows no bounds. Those whom God wishes to destroy, they say, he first makes mad. He doesn't need anyone else to destroy him. He is his own enemy!
Now that the Madhu shrine has been secured, the onus is on the government to ensure its safety and preserve its sanctity. It must strictly be a demilitarized zone. Render unto God what's God's!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Madhu Liberation - Daily News Editorial
The liberation of the Madhu Church precincts from the terrorists marks a watershed in the Northern war theatre. The troops trod with utmost caution in the sacred area, honouring a No Fire Zone arrangement, which the LTTE unfortunately violated. The soldiers ensured that no harm was caused to the Sacred Shrine, renowned throughout Asia.
The Army faced a formidable task vis-a-vis Madhu. The LTTE had heavily mined the area. The slightest propaganda by the troops and any damage to the Church would have sent the LTTE misinformation network into hyperdrive. It is to their credit that they managed this feat without literally falling into the traps laid by the LTTE, physically and metaphorically.
One unsolved mystery is why the Madhu Church authorities conveyed the Scared Statue of Our Lady of Madhu to another location in an LTTE-dominated area, in spite of repeated pleas by the clergy and laity to convey the statue to a Government-controlled area, so that Christians from both Sinhala and Tamil communities could pay homage to it.
We hope the priests will now return the Statue to its rightful abode, where it will be protected and venerated by all. The Government and the Army will spare no effort to preserve the sanctity of the church zone, which has seen conflict for a number of years.
It is not only the Madhu Church that has seen the ravages of conflict. The Sri Dalada Maligawa was attacked by LTTE terrorists 10 years ago.
The LTTE gunned down pilgrims in Anuradhapura in 1985. Many Buddhist places of worship in the North and East have been partially or completely destroyed. Kovils and mosques have also been affected.
It is an unwritten rule of war that places of worship are not attacked. But the LTTE has violated this rule many times. In the case of Madhu, newspapers reported how LTTE cadres virtually set up base in and around the Church. They disregarded the No Fire Zone.
Now that the Forces, and hence the Government, have regained the Madhu Church area, Christians can heave a collective sigh of relief. With the impending liberation of the entire North, pilgrims of all over Sri Lanka will soon be able to venerate this famous shrine in a free and peaceful atmosphere.
Courtesy: The Daily News
The Army faced a formidable task vis-a-vis Madhu. The LTTE had heavily mined the area. The slightest propaganda by the troops and any damage to the Church would have sent the LTTE misinformation network into hyperdrive. It is to their credit that they managed this feat without literally falling into the traps laid by the LTTE, physically and metaphorically.
One unsolved mystery is why the Madhu Church authorities conveyed the Scared Statue of Our Lady of Madhu to another location in an LTTE-dominated area, in spite of repeated pleas by the clergy and laity to convey the statue to a Government-controlled area, so that Christians from both Sinhala and Tamil communities could pay homage to it.
We hope the priests will now return the Statue to its rightful abode, where it will be protected and venerated by all. The Government and the Army will spare no effort to preserve the sanctity of the church zone, which has seen conflict for a number of years.
It is not only the Madhu Church that has seen the ravages of conflict. The Sri Dalada Maligawa was attacked by LTTE terrorists 10 years ago.
The LTTE gunned down pilgrims in Anuradhapura in 1985. Many Buddhist places of worship in the North and East have been partially or completely destroyed. Kovils and mosques have also been affected.
It is an unwritten rule of war that places of worship are not attacked. But the LTTE has violated this rule many times. In the case of Madhu, newspapers reported how LTTE cadres virtually set up base in and around the Church. They disregarded the No Fire Zone.
Now that the Forces, and hence the Government, have regained the Madhu Church area, Christians can heave a collective sigh of relief. With the impending liberation of the entire North, pilgrims of all over Sri Lanka will soon be able to venerate this famous shrine in a free and peaceful atmosphere.
Courtesy: The Daily News
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)