The Navarathri celebration Festival was held under the patronage of Hon. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees last night (12th October). Dr. Subramanian Swamy, a member of Rajya Sabha (Council of States) of the Parliament of India was also present at the celebrations.
Ramachandra Kurukkal Babu Sharma-Co-ordinator (Hindu Religious Affairs) to the Prime Minister, Chief Priest of the Mayurapathy Sri Bathrakali Amman Kovil – Thuraisami Udayaragawa Kurukal and hindu priest Aruna Prashanthan Sharma performed rituals at the ceremony.
As the Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious & Cultural Affairs, the Prime Minister had arranged to hold the Navarathri Festival at Temple Trees this year as well as last year.
Navaratri is a Hindu festival that spans nine nights and is celebrated every year in the honor of the divine feminine Devi.
Celebrations include worshipping nine goddesses in nine days, stage decorations, and recital of the legend, enacting of the story, and chanting of the scriptures of Hinduism. Hindu devotees often celebrate Navaratri by fasting. On the final day, called Vijayadashami, the statues are either immersed in a water body such as a river or ocean, or the statue symbolizing the evil is burnt with fireworks, marking the destruction of evil.
The festival also starts the preparation for Diwali, the festival of lights, which is celebrated twenty days after Vijayadashami.
Mrs Shiranthi Rajapaksa, Hon. Douglas Devananda- Minister of Fisheries, Hon. Jeevan Thondaman- State Minister of Estate Housing & Community Infrastructure, Members of Parliament Hon. (Dr.) Suren Raghavan, Hon. M. Rameshwaran, Mr. Yoshitha Rajapaksa-Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, Former Chief Justice K. Sripavan, Prof Kapila Gunawardana- Secretary to the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs and Mr. Senthil Thondaman- Coordinating Secretary to Prime Minister were also present at the gathering.