Sri Lanka: Rama Pitted Against Kali

NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka’s just unveiled 2021-23 diplomatic charm offensive to make up with India includes donating a holy brick from its Sita Amman temple to the planned grand Ram temple in Ayodhya. Colombo wants to host Hindu religious leaders and encourage Buddhist leaders to visit India. There are plans to woo more and more Hindu tourists to cover the Ramayana, Shaivite/Shakti and Lord Murugan trails in Sri Lanka. All these are part and parcel of Sri Lanka’s proposed people-to-people contacts which it feels will play a critical role in turning around the present chill in bilateral relations, caused mainly by Colombo’s public hugging of Beijing. Viewing another society personally and from close quarters is always useful and helpful in the long run. Nevertheless, the ‘Hindu bonhomie’ Sri Lanka is suggesting covers up an ugly truth related to Hindu religion and its adherents in that country....Read More