PILGRIMAGE BY HINDUS TO CHIDAMBARAM IN INDIA

1.0 OBJECTIVE

1.1 To strengthen spiritual, moral and ethical values towards nation building through holy pilgrimages and fulfilling religious vows.

1.2 To facilitate below-the-poverty-line Hindus to travel on pilgrimage to the holiest of Saivaite holies temple of Arulmiku Natarajar (dancing Shiva) at Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India during the annual THIRUVATHIRAI ten day festival culminating on the full moon day of Maarkazhi (Nakshathira Betelgeuse, the ninth-brightest star in the night sky and second-brightest in the constellation of Orion) falling somewhere in December / January each year.

2.0 RATIONALE

2.1 Hindus celebrate the month of Markazhi, observing fasts, eating vegetarian-only food, with taboo on consumption of liquor. Adolescent women take vows towards healthy marriage and bestowed family life. Arulmiku Natarajar is the Lord of the month. His holy seat is at Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu India.

2.2 Sri Lankan Hindus undertake annual pilgrimages to this temple during the festival season. This has been happening through thousands of years. So much so, that Sri Lankan Hindu communities own pilgrims rests or choultries at Chidambaram (India). There are about 32 such choultries in Chidambaram, each bearing the name of the village or town of the owners: e. g. Kokuvil Madam owned by the devotees from Kokuvil in Jaffna.

2.3 Even Sinhalese venerate the temple. King Sena I (circa 850 CE) had a dumb daughter. He tried to cure her dumbness through many means. Unsuccessful, he took a vow to make a pilgrimage to Arulmiku Natarajar at Chidambaram, guided by an ascetic. After the pilgrimage to Arulmiku Natarajar (dancing Shiva) temple at Chidambaram he returned to Sri Lanka with his beautiful daughter blessed with fluent vocalisation.

2.4 Buddhists travel to India and Nepal on holy pilgrimage to Buddha Gaya, Saranath, Rajagiriya, Kusinara, Lumbini and Kapilavasthu. Christians travel to Jerusalem and Rome on holy pilgrimage. Muslims travel to Mecca and Medina, a lifetime duty cast on them. Catholics from Tamil Nadu travel to Kachchativu on pilgrimage. All these pilgrimages are in a way facilitated by the Government of Sri Lanka through coordination with the concerned countries: India, Israel, Italy and Saudi Arabia. In recent times Indian Government has been facilitating selected Buddhists to travel (sometimes gratis) to holy places in India.

2.5 Hindus do not have a pilgrimage travel facilitated by the Government of Sri Lanka. Most Hindus travel on their own by flying to the nearest destinations like Chennai or Trichy from Colombo on pilgrimage to Chidambaram during December. That is a very expensive proposition requiring many years of savings for the middle income grouper. For the upper income groups such pilgrimages are normal.

2.6 Below-the-poverty-line group cannot afford the air fare, the related travel, accommodation expenses to Colombo and to Katunayake and the post arrival transfer from Chennai or Trichy to Chidambaram. For those with mounting needs, deplorable poverty and poor living standards, faith in God of their choice is the only form of salvation. They make vows to Arulmiku Natarajar at Chidambaram. These vows pass unfulfilled. The un-fulfilment of the vows eats into their spiritual strength, deplete their moral courage and erode their ethical standards resulting in social disorder and occasional lawlessness, thus slowing down nation building.

  2.7 Hindus crossed the Palk Straits by sail boats on holy pilgrimage to Arulmiku Natarajar at Chidambaram during their historical past. British introduced the boat-mail service which continued even after independence between Talaimannar and Dhanushkodi (Rameswaram after 1964). A pilgrim could buy a train ticket direct to Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu from any railway station in Sri Lanka. That two-nights and a day journey service ended by the year 1983. War like situation in traditional Hindu areas of Sri Lanka reduced pilgrimage travel to its minimum. Post-war and the dawn of Yahapalanaya, Hindus are dreaming to restore their historical holy pilgrim travel. A ferry service between Kankesanthurai port in Sri Lanka to the nearest Kaaraikkal port in India (3 to 4 hours of ship’s travel time) will facilitate fulfilling the holy pilgrimage vows of Sri Lankan Hindus to Chidambaram (which is only two hours by bus from Kaaraikkal).

3.0 PROGRESS MADE (2016 TO 2019)

• 29th November 2016 - Hon. Governor, Northern Province writes to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting a ferry service for the Hindu Pilgrims to participate in the Thiruvathirai festival at Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.
  
• 12th April 2017 – Rear Admiral, Sri Lankan Navy writes to the Hon. Governor, Northern Province on the requirements of the ship / ferry.
• 20th April 2017 – Ministry of Foreign Affairs writes to HE High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in New Delhi to pursue the matter with Indian authorities.
  
• 2nd May 2017 Ministry of Defence writes to the Hon. Governor, Northern Province on the requirements for the Ferry Service .
• 19th May 2017 – Meeting of Sri Lankan Government Departments and the representative from Indian High Commission at Ministry of Internal Affairs.
• 21st December 2017 - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, writes to the Hon. Governor, Northern Province seeking list of passengers and other details.
• 22nd December 2017 - Consul General of the Government of India, Jaffna writes to the Hon. Governor, Northern Province seeking list of passengers and other details.
• 26th December 2017 – Hindu Organisations in Sri Lanka requests writes to the Hon. Governor, Northern Province reminding him of their initial request for pilgrim ship to Chidambaram Natarajar Temple festival.
• 07th January 2018 Department of Hindu Religious Affairs advertises in newspapers calling for enrollment of pilgrims to Chidambaram temple.
• 19th March 2018 – Secretary to HE President, Mr. Austin Fernando writes to the Chairman of the Ceylon Shipping Corporation
• 30th July 2018 – Ceylon Shipping Corporation writes to the Shipping Corporation of India. Shipping Corporation of India says it has no ships for the purpose.
• 18th June 2019 – Singapore Company, Eelat Pvt. Ltd offers a 100 or 200 passenger ferry around per passenger cost of LKR 8000 to operate between Kankaesanthurai (Sri Lanka) and Karaikal (India) ports

4.0 ACTION PLAN

4.1 Pilgrimage shipping service between Kankesanthurai (Sri Lanka) and Karaikkal (India) to begin operations by 10^th December 2019 and to continue till 13^th January 2020.

4.2 Ceylon Shipping Corporation to arrange a ship operator (please see offer by Singapore Company, Eelat Pvt. Ltd.) and to arrange the service as per dates in 4.1.

4.3 A consultative meeting (during first week of October) with participation by Secretaries from Ministries of 1. Hindu Religious Affairs, 2. External Affairs, 3. Defense, 4. Internal Affairs, 5. Shipping, 6. Trade (Customs), 7. Tourism, 8. Health and others concerned (a) to finalize the implementation of logistics involved, viz: Ticketing, Customs, Immigration, Port, Bank, Health and Passenger amenities at Kankesanthurai harbour, (b) to decide on the waiver of any passenger tax; (c) to decide on a subsidy to pilgrims for economically weakest pilgrims.

4.4 A representative from the Office of the President and a representative from the Ministry of Hindu Affairs to travel to Delhi, (during the third week of October, with concurrence from Delhi) routed through and facilitated by the Indian High Commission, Colombo and Sri Lankan High Commission, Delhi, (a) to arrange for the implementation of the logistics involved, viz: Ticketing, Customs, Immigration, Port, Bank, Health and Passenger amenities at Karaikal harbour; (b) to seek the support of the Tourism Departments of Government of India, Government of Tamil Nadu and the Government of the Union Territory of Puthuchery in transporting to and accommodating pilgrims at Chidambaram; (c) to ask the Consular offices of the Government of India at Colombo, Hambantota, Kandy and Jaffna to facilitate issuance of visa (gratis to pilgrims).

4.5 Ministry of Hindu Religious Affairs to advertise in newspapers, radio and TV calling for enrollment of pilgrims. All District Secretaries be advised to facilitate early processing of Passports to those enrolled by the Ministry of Hindu Religions Affairs.

4.6 His Excellency President of Sri Lanka joined by the Hon. Minister of Hindu Religious Affairs to formally announce to the public, the inauguration of the Hindu Pilgrim Shipping Service.  (first week of October)