Thousands of catholics flock to Wanni jungles for feast of Our Lady of Madhu
[August 14, 2001 - 12:00 GMT]

Tens of thousands pilgrims from all over the country have gathered at the Madhu Shrine in the Wanni jungles in northern Sri Lanka to celebrate the annual feast of Our Lady of Madhu Wednesday.

The Vavuniya District Office of the government is providing transport facilities to the pilgrims of Northeast Sri Lanka. The first batch of 19 special buses has already left for the shrine.

Meanwhile a batch of 9,000 pilgrims from the South has received Defence Ministry clearance to proceed to Madhu for the feast.

The Shrine in the jungles of Wanni is in an area controlled by Tamil Tiger rebels fighting an 18-year for a separate state in northern and eastern Sri Lanka.

For the first time in 450 years, the statue of Our Lady of Madhu, Queen of Peace toured the country in March, as a step towards restoring peace and harmony in Sri Lanka.

The increased number of pilgrims this year highlights the success of the statue’s tour of peace.
 

Contact Information: Send mail to webmaster@priu.gov.lk with questions or comments about this web site. 
Last Updated Date: December 16, 2003 - 12.00 GMT.