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18th May, Civil War, Disappearances, Disappeared, Documentary Photography, Goddess Kannaki, Goddess Pattini, High Contrast, Kannaki Amman, Memory, Mullativu, Pain and Memory, Pattini, Photography, Politics, Post War, Reconsiliation, Religion, Social Justice, Sri Lanka, Vattappalai Kannaki Amman, Waruni Anuruddhika, Worship
Kannahi Amman Kovil , Vattappalai – Mulathivu (Northern Province – Sri Lanka)
The shrine is dedicated to the goddess Kannaki Amman. According to the legends, Kannaki came from Madurei , visited ten different places in Sri Lanka. It is being believed that Vattappalai is the tenth place that she rested. The legends says goddess Kannaki makes miracles, stand for justice .
In my journey to the north, I stayed along with the mothers of disappeared. On 18th of May, family members of the gathered to Mullivaikkal to commemorate their loved ones who died, disappeared and went missing during the war. They laid flowers, lighted candles and burned camphor on the ground. Unbearable pain mirrored as tears and weeps. It flown on the ground of Mullivaikkal , where thousands of people closed their eyes forever … hid in the lagoon water … or buried without last respect …
Thirty years of war between Sri Lankan army and LTTE in Sri Lanka ended up in 18th of May in 2009. In such a gloomy day we ended up in loosing lives of loved once … It caused people to disappeared, displaced and disabled both mentally and physically … The war created a miserable life for the people in both Tamil and Sinhala community .
In this gloomy evening, I ended up visiting Kannaki Amman at Vattapaalai …. The gold and orange colored shrine shines in golden light under the blue sky looks so majestic …. It is considered that the tree on the left as the place and the tree where Kannaki sat and stayed for a while, Also, people believe that this Kovile is one of the most sacred Kannaki Amman shrine in the country which makes miracles!!!!
Kannaki!!!! My evening prayers for Peace ….
(From the field notes of Pattini worship)
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