The installation of a Buddha statue near the historic Ukanthamalai Murugan Temple, located along the coast in the Amparai District, has provoked widespread anger and concern among local residents and Hindu devotees, who see it as part of an ongoing campaign of Buddhisisation in the Tamil homeland.
The statue was reportedly placed on a hillock adjacent to a Sri Lankan naval camp, situated directly on the sacred seashore that surrounds the ancient Ukanthamalai temple. Further escalating tensions, a Buddhist flag has been hoisted at the site, in what locals see as a symbolic assertion of Sinhala-Buddhist dominance over a historically Tamil Hindu space.
Community members and temple authorities have condemned the move, questioning the double standards in the state's approach to religious structures. They highlighted that previous requests by Hindu devotees to erect a statue of Lord Murugan within the temple premises were denied permission by authorities. Many are now asking how, under such conditions, a Buddha statue was allowed to be erected in the very same area.
Local Hindu communities have expressed grave concern, warning that the developments at Ukanthamalai resemble earlier state-backed efforts in Kataragama, where Buddhist structures and rituals were gradually introduced and overlaid on an originally Tamil Hindu shrine, resulting in the marginalisation of Tamil religious traditions.
Activists and residents have described the situation as part of a deliberate and systemic plan to alter the cultural and religious landscape of the Tamil homeland, particularly in areas where military installations have facilitated such encroachments.
Reports indicate that the issue has been formally brought to the attention of Amparai District Member of Parliament K. Kodeeswaran, who has been urged to raise the matter both within Parliament and with relevant ministries.
The Ukanthamalai Murugan Temple is a site of deep spiritual and historical significance to Tamil Hindus. This incident comes amid broader concerns of Sinhala-Buddhist encroachment across the North-East, where similar cases involving the erection of Buddha statues, viharas, and stupas have been repeatedly documented.
