The Buddhist organisation Ravana Balaya has said it would not allow a Hindu temple to Sita to be built on the island, unless a statue for Ravana, a king in the legen Ramayana, was built first.
Speaking to the DailyMirror, leader of the group Itthakande Saddhathissa said they would oppose the temple, which was supposed to be built with Indian funds.
“No one can neglect the glory of Ravana. We don’t oppose any move to build a shrine in memory of Sita but that should only be done after erecting a statue of Ravana. If that does not happen we will not the building of any other shrine,” the monk said.
A few days ago, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that he has received approval from the Sri Lankan government, after Rajapakse opened a Buddhist temple in India during a visit there earlier this year.