PR 11

For the forthcoming Mahasivarathri festival at the Thiruketheeswaram temple, Mannar on 12-13 March 2010, Indian artistes- 'Ponisai Thevaramani' Smt. Vijalaxmi Raja Ram and 'Tamil Isaithendral' Smt. Meenakshi Srinivasan from Chennai will render devotional songs. The High Commission is actively supporting the cultural programme, which is expected to be attended by thousands of devotees.

Further, India is committed to the restoration of the historic Thiruketheeswaram temple, Mannar, which is among the five Eeswaram temples in Sri Lanka. This decision was reiterated during the recent visit to Sri Lanka from 6 to 8 March 2010 of the Indian Foreign Secretary Mrs. Nirupama Rao. A team of experts from the Archeological Survey of India and trained sthapathis from College of Architecture, Mamallapuram, will be visiting Mannar soon to assist in the restoration efforts.

Last year, the Indian Cultural Centre had provided assistance for staging a Bharatanatyam Dance programme by Smt. Rama Vaidyanathan & troupe in Nallur, in the backdrop of the Nallur Kandaswamy festival in August 2009. The programme was a veritable musical treat for the people of Jaffna, and over 3000 people attended the programme.