Madurai: Sri La Sri Harihara Desika Paramachariya Swamigal, the pontiff of Madurai Atheenam (the oldest Saivite adheenam, a form of Hindu monastery) said the Sri Lankan Tamils need a separate country and he will request the Centre to get Katchatheevu back.
"We need to create a separate country for Tamils in Sri Lanka and I will request the central government to recover Katchatheevu," he told reporters in a wedding reception held at a private hotel near the Madurai Pandi Temple.
Asked about the sacrifice of sheep on Thiruparankundram Hill, he said, "Our religion emphasises that we should show love to all living beings and Lord Shiva. We should not kill life. Doing so is a great sin."
Sikandar Hill Issue
On Muslims calling the Thiruparankundram Hill as "Sikandar Hill," he said, "The first of the six-fold house is Thiruparankundram. Our Puranas say this. We cannot accept everything anyone says. Islam and Christianity are religions that came from outside. Everyone should worship here in unity. It is our custom to light Deepam on the top of Thiruparankundram Hill. There is nothing wrong with lighting it on the top of the hill. We did not go to Saudi Arabia to light it."
Restoring Katchatheevu
"They killed Tamils in Sri Lanka. It was the Rajiv Gandhi government. But the Modi government has built houses for them. We must create a separate country in Sri Lanka. That is why I am meeting Modi. The reason for arresting Sri Lankan fishermen is that we lost Katchatheevu. The reason for all this is the Congress government. That party should not be allowed to win even one place in India. I am requesting the Prime Minister to restore Katchatheevu. We must give a voice to the Tamils,'' he said.
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