COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, 22 September, 2008: Unidentified gunmen shot and killed Sivasri Kugarajah Kurukkal, High Priest of the Thirukoneswaram Hindu Temple, at about 6:00 p.m. last night, as the 43-year-old priest was riding a motorbike on Vidyalayam Road in the port city of Trincomalee. According to the police report, two bullets struck his head, killing him instantly.
Sivashri Kugaraja Kurrukal had been the high priest of this ancient Saiva Temple for the last five years. He is said to have been highly respected in the area, both among Hindus and among other religious communities. He had maintained a very cordial relationship with the law enforcement authorities in the district and had performed a great service in building peace and harmony among the different communities.
Police are conducting an investigation into the murder.
South India, Where the Gods Are Alive
http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/travel/21journeys.html
NEW YORK, USA, September 23, 2008: Few things in India express the continuous presence of the gods better than the ancient, massive temple complexes of Tamil Nadu. Walk through any city there and what catches your eye first are the soaring temple entrances known as gopuras, sacred skyscrapers decorated with a phantasmagoria of Hindu statues of multi-armed, bug-eyed gods, mythical beasts and chiseled warriors. Thousands of such statues adorn the largest gopuras, like the ones rising from the Meenakshi-Sundareshwarar temple in Madurai, one of the holiest pilgrimage sites in India.
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