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Katchatheevu கச்சத்தீவு..............
கச்சத்தீவு யாழ்ப்பாண
தீபகற்பத்திற்கு அருகிலுள்ள ஒரு தீவாகும். இது இந்திய தீபகற்பத்திற்கும்
இலங்கைக்கும் இடையில் உள்ளது. 1974ம் ஆண்டு வரை இந்தியாவின் கட்டுப்பாட்டில் இருந்த இத்தீவு கச்சத்தீவு ஒப்பந்தப்படி, தற்போது இலங்கைக்கு சொந்தமாக உள்ளது.
இத்தீவின் பரப்பளவு 285 ஏக்கர்(1.15 சதுர கிலோ மீட்டராகும்). இந்த தீவில் மனிதர்கள் யாரும் தற்போது
வசிக்கவில்லை. புகழ்பெற்ற அந்தோணியார் கோவில் ஒன்று இங்கு உள்ளது..........
Katchatheevu (Tamil: கச்சத்தீவு, romanized: Kaccattīvu, Sinhala: කච්චතීවු, romanized: kaccatīvu) is an uninhabited island administered by Sri Lanka and was a disputed territory claimed by India until 1976.
The island is located between Neduntheevu, Sri Lanka and Rameswaram, India and has been
traditionally used by both Sri Lankan Tamil and Tamil Nadu fishermen. In 1974 India
recognized Sri Lankan ownership of the island on a conditional agreement................
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கச்சத்தீவு வரலாறு....................
கி.பி.1605ஆம் ஆண்டில் மதுரை நாயக்க
மன்னர்களால் சேதுபதி அரச மரபு தோற்றுவிக்கப்பட்டது. சேதுபதி
அரசர்கட்கு அளிக்கப்பட்ட நிலப் பகுதியில் குத்துக்கால் தீவு, குருசடித் தீவு, இராமசாமித் தீவு, மண்ணாலித் தீவு, கச்சத் தீவு [1], நடுத் தீவு, பள்ளித் தீவு
ஆகிய தீவுகளும், 69 கடற்கரைக் கிராமங்களும் சேதுபதி அரசர்க்கு
உரிமையாக்கப்பட்டிருந்தன. தளவாய் சேதுபதி காத்த தேவர் என்ற கூத்தன் சேதுபதி (1622–1635)
காலத்துச் செப்பேடு ஒன்றில் தலைமன்னார் வரை சேதுபதி அதிகாரத்திற்கு உட்பட்டது என்று
கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது. தமிழ்நாடு ஆங்கிலேயரின் காலனி ஆட்சிக்கு உட்பட்டப் பிறகு, 1803ஆம் ஆண்டு சென்னை மாகாணத்தில் ஜமீன்தாரி முறை
கொண்டுவரப்பட்டது. அப்போது சேதுபதி அரச வாரிசு (1795இல் முத்துராமலிங்க சேதுபதி மன்னர்
பல்லாண்டுகள் சிறையில் இருந்த நிலையிலேயே மரணமுற்றதால்) இல்லாத நிலையில், அவருடைய தமக்கையான இராணி மங்களேசுவரி நாச்சியாரைக்
கிழக்கிந்திய கம்பெனியார் ஜமீன்தாரிணியாக்கினர். அவர் 1803 முதல் 1812 வரை நிர்வாகம்
செய்தார். கச்சத்தீவு இராமநாதபுரம் ஜமீனுக்கு உரியது
என்பதை விக்டோரியா மகாராணி தனது பிரகடணத்தில் கூறியிருந்ததை இலங்கை அமைச்சரவைச்
செயலராக இருந்த பி.பி. பியரீஸ் என்பவர் (1936-40ஆம் ஆண்டுகளில்
நில அளவைத் துறையில் இருந்தவர்) கூறி பதிவு செய்துள்ளார்
கச்சதீவு இந்திய
உரிமை என்பதற்கு சான்று
உரிமை என்பதற்கு சான்று
முதன்மைக்
கட்டுரை: கச்சத்தீவு உரிமைச் சிக்கல்
1972-ல் வெளியிடப்பட்ட
ராமநாதபுரம் மாவட்ட விவரச் சுவடி, அதற்கு முன் ராஜா
ராமராவ் வெளியிட்ட ராமநாதபுர மாவட்ட மானுவல், 1915, 1929 மற்றும் 1933-ஆம் ஆண்டுகளில் வெளியிடப்பட்ட ராமநாதபுர மாவட்டத்துப்
புள்ளிவிவரங்கள் அடங்கிய பின்னிணைப்பு, 1899-ல் ஏ.ஜெ.
ஸ்டூவர்ட்டு எழுதிய சென்னை ராசதானியிலுள்ள திருநெல்வேலி மாவட்ட மானுவல் போன்ற
பல்வேறு ஆதாரங்களைக் கொண்டு வெளியிடப்பட்டது. அதில், ராமேசுவரத்திற்கு வட கிழக்கே, 10 மைல் தொலைவில் கச்சத்தீவு இருக்கிறது என்றும்; ஜமீன் ஒழிப்புக்கு முன்னர், ராமநாதபுரம்
அரசர் இத்தீவை தனி நபர்களுக்கு குத்தகைக்கு விட்டுக் கொண்டிருந்தார் என்றும்; இந்தத் தீவின் சர்வே எண் 1250; பரப்பளவு 285.20 ஏக்கர் என்றும்; இந்தத் தீவு
ராமேஸ்வரம் கர்ணத்தின் அதிகார எல்லைக்கு உட்பட்டது என்றும் குறிப்பிடப்பட்டுள்ளது.
ராமநாதபுரம் வட்டத்தில் உள்ள தீவு என்று கச்சத்தீவை அது குறிக்கிறது. இவையெல்லாம், கச்சத்தீவு மீது இந்தியாவுக்கு உள்ள உரிமைகளுக்கு சான்றாக
விளங்குகின்றன.
கச்சத்தீவு ஒப்பந்தம்...............
முதன்மைக்
கட்டுரை: கச்சத்தீவு
ஒப்பந்தம்
1974 மற்றும் 1976ம் ஆண்டில் இந்திய அரசு தனக்கு சொந்தமான கச்சத்தீவை
இலங்கைக்கு ஒப்பந்தம் மூலம் கொடுத்தது. இந்த ஒப்பந்தங்களில் ஒப்பந்த
திகதியிலிருந்து 10 வருடங்களுக்கு இந்திய மீனவர்கள் தீவுப்பகுதியில் மீன்
பிடிக்கவும், வலைகளை காயவைக்கவும், வழிபாடு நடத்த
தீவுக்கு சென்று வருவதற்கும் அனுமதி இருக்கிறது. ஆயினும் 10 வருடங்களின் பின் இந்த அனுமதி இல்லாத நிலையில் இந்திய
மீனவர்கள் எல்லை தாண்டுகிறார்கள்.. 1960ம் ஆண்டைய உச்ச
நீதிமன்றத் தீர்ப்புக்கு முற்றிலும் முரணாக, நாடாளுமன்றத்தின்
இரு அவைகளின் ஒப்புதல் இல்லாமல், இந்தியா மற்றும்
இலங்கைக்கு இடையே 1974 மற்றும் 1976 ஆம் ஆண்டுகளில்
ஏற்பட்ட ஒப்பந்தங்கள் வாயிலாக கச்சத்தீவு இலங்கைக்கு தாரைவார்க்கப்பட்டு
இருக்கிறது என்று கூறி 2008ம் ஆண்டு அதிமுக தலைவர் செயலலிதா உச்சநீதிமன்றத்தில்
மனு செய்துள்ளார். தமிழக சட்டசபையில் சூன் 9, 2011 அன்று நடந்த
சட்டபேரவை தீர்மானத்தில் தமிழக வருவாய் துறையையும் சேர்க்க வேண்டும் என்று
தீர்மானம் நிறைவேற்றப்பட்டுள்ளது.
அந்தோணியார் ஆலயம்.............அந்தோனியார் ஆலயம்.
கச்சத்தீவில்
மீனவர்களின் புண்ணிய புரவலராக கருதப்படும் புனித அந்தோணியாருக்கு அர்ப்பணம்
செய்யப்பட்ட புகழ்பெற்ற புனித அந்தோணியார் தேவாலயம் ஒன்று உள்ளது.
இருபதாம் நூற்றாண்டின் துவக்கத்தில், தொண்டி அருகே
உள்ள நம்புதாளை என்ற ஊரை சேர்ந்த சீனிகுப்பன் படையாச்சி என்பவர் இந்த தேவாலயத்தை
கட்டினார். இலங்கையில் இனக் கலவரம் தொடங்குவதற்கு முன் ஒவ்வொரு ஆண்டும் மார்ச்
மாதம் முதல் வாரத்தில் அந்தோனியார் ஆலய விழா நடைபெற்று வந்தது.
இதற்கு தமிழகம் மற்றும் இலங்கையில் இருந்து அதிகளவில் பக்தர்கள் சென்று வந்தனர். இரு நாட்டு மக்களும் சங்கமிக்கும் அமைதி தீவாக விளங்கிய கச்சத்தீவு 1975 ஒப்பந்தத்திற்கு பின் இலங்கைக்கு சொந்தமானது. ஒப்பந்தத்தின்படி கச்சத்தீவில் தமிழக மீனவர்கள் தங்கி திரும்பவும், கச்சத்தீவு புனித அந்தோனியார் ஆலய விழாவில் எப்போதும் போல் கலந்து கொள்ளவும் அனுமதி அளிக்கப்பட்டது.மீன் பிடிக்க அனுமதி இல்லை கச்சத்தீவு இலங்கைக்கு சொந்தமானதற்கு பின் கச்சத்தீவு விழாவிற்கான ஏற்பாடுகளை இலங்கை அரசு செய்தது. ஆயினும் திருப்பலி சடங்குகளை தங்கச்சிமடம் ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க பங்கு தந்தையர்களே செய்து வந்தனர்.
இதற்கு தமிழகம் மற்றும் இலங்கையில் இருந்து அதிகளவில் பக்தர்கள் சென்று வந்தனர். இரு நாட்டு மக்களும் சங்கமிக்கும் அமைதி தீவாக விளங்கிய கச்சத்தீவு 1975 ஒப்பந்தத்திற்கு பின் இலங்கைக்கு சொந்தமானது. ஒப்பந்தத்தின்படி கச்சத்தீவில் தமிழக மீனவர்கள் தங்கி திரும்பவும், கச்சத்தீவு புனித அந்தோனியார் ஆலய விழாவில் எப்போதும் போல் கலந்து கொள்ளவும் அனுமதி அளிக்கப்பட்டது.மீன் பிடிக்க அனுமதி இல்லை கச்சத்தீவு இலங்கைக்கு சொந்தமானதற்கு பின் கச்சத்தீவு விழாவிற்கான ஏற்பாடுகளை இலங்கை அரசு செய்தது. ஆயினும் திருப்பலி சடங்குகளை தங்கச்சிமடம் ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க பங்கு தந்தையர்களே செய்து வந்தனர்.
இந்நிலையில் 1983 இல் இலங்கையில் ஏற்பட்ட
இனக்கலவரத்தை தொடர்ந்து பாதுகாப்பு கருதி கச்சத்தீவு விழா நிறுத்தப்பட்டது.
இந்நிலையில் கடந்த 2002 இல் மீண்டும்
கச்சத்தீவு விழா யாழ்ப்பாணம் மறைமாவட்ட பங்கு தந்தையர்களால் நடத்தப்பட்டது. 20 வருடங்கள் கழித்து நடந்த விழாவில் தமிழகத்தை சேர்ந்த
கிறிஸ்தவர்களும் கலந்து கொண்டு திரும்பினர். தொடர்ந்து கடந்த ஆண்டு வரை கச்சத்தீவு
விழாவிற்கு ராமேஸ்வரம், பாம்பன் பகுதிகளில்
இருந்து அதிகளவில் பக்தர்களும், பத்திரிகையாளர்களும்
சென்று திரும்பினர். 2011ஆம் ஆண்டு ஆலயவிழா, மார்ச் 20 அன்று இரு நாட்டு பக்தர்களின் கூட்டுப் பிரார்த்தனையுடன்
சிறப்பாக நடந்தேறியது.
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Geography
Kachchatheevu location in Jaffna Peninsula, extreme bottom left or
southwest of the map.
285-acre
(1.15 km2) island is
situated on the Sri Lankan side of the maritime boundary.
History..................
The island was
earlier part of the Ramnad Kingdom which
existed in Madurai district of India. Later on with the British rule on the Indian subcontinent was
the island part of the Madras Presidency.[1]
Ownership of the
island was controversial up until 1974 as during British rule the island was
administered by both countries. India recognized Sri Lankan equal ownership.
The legality of the transfer was challenged in the Indian Supreme Court since
the recognizing was not ratified by the Indian parliament.This recognition of
an island that is culturally important to fishermen of Tamil Nadu state in India has led to some agitations by
Tamil Nadu politicians that it should be claimed to Indian sovereignty. The
island is also important for fishing grounds used by fishers from both
countries. The Indo-Sri Lankan agreement allows Indian fishermen to fish around
Katchatheevu and to dry their nets on the island. As part of the Sri Lankan Civil War, the
arrangement led to many difficulties with the Sri Lankan Navy, which was deployed to prevent smuggling of
weapons by the rebel group LTTE. The island has a Catholic shrine that attracted devotees from
both countries.
The main problem
continues to grow as more fisherman move into the Sri Lankan sea area for
illegal poaching. In 2010 the Sri Lankan government issued a notice to the
Tamil Nadu government saying the Indian court cannot nullify the 1974
agreement.
In June 2011 the
new Tamil Nadu government led by the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, J. Jayalalithaa, filed a petition in the Supreme Court that
the declaration of the 1974 and 1976 agreements between India and Sri Lanka on
ceding of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka were unconstitutional.[4] The court ruled in the
Berubari case that the cession of Indian territory to another country had to be
ratified by parliament through amendment of the Constitution.
However, the
Indian government has stated, "No territory belonging to India was ceded
nor sovereignty relinquished since the area was in dispute and had never been
demarcated" and that the dispute on the status of the island was settled
in 1974 by an agreement, and both countries took into account historical
evidence and legal aspects.
St. Anthony's Catholic Shrine..........
St. Antony's
shrine is the only structure on the island. It is a church
named after St. Antony, considered a patron-saint of seafarers by the
Christians. It was built by a prosperous Indian an Indian Catholic (Tamilian)
fisherman Srinivasa Padaiyachi in the early 20th century. The annual church
festival runs for three days. The priests from both India and Sri Lanka conduct
the mass and car procession. Pilgrims from India are ferried mostly Rameswaram.
According to the agreement between the Indian and Sri Lankan government, the
citizens of India are not required to possess an Indian passport or Sri Lankan
visa for visiting Kachchatheevu. The island lacks drinking water.
courtesy;From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
============================================
After emergency was imposed in 1975 and the Tamil Nadu Government was dismissed in 1976, a series of letters were exchanged between the foreign secretaries of India and Sri Lanka. Both Parliament and the state Assembly were non-functional and, without consulting either, another agreement was drafted. This agreement stated, “The fishing vessels and fishermen of India shall not engage in fishing in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Sri Lanka.” While the 1974 Agreement was to settle the maritime boundary in the Palk Bay, the 1976 pact was to determine the boundary in the Gulf of Mannar and Bay of Bengal.
In 1991, the Tamil Nadu Assembly again sought the retrieval of Kachchatheevu and restoration of fishing rights of Tamil fishermen. The Northern Province and maritime boundaries were not guarded tightly, and Indian trawlers routinely entered Sri Lankan waters.
In 2008, ADMK Leader J. Jayalalitha filed a petition saying Kachchatheevu could not be ceded to another country without a constitutional amendment. The petition argued that the 1974 Agreement had affected the traditional fishing rights and livelihoods of Indian fishermen. After becoming chief minister in 2011, she moved a resolution in the Assembly and in 2012 went back to the Supreme Court requesting her petition be expedited in the wake of increasing arrests of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan authorities.
The Congress has always been defensive regarding the role of Indira Gandhi’s Government in handing Katchchatheevu to Sri Lanka. Before the Lok Sabha Polls, the BJP endorsed the demand of Tamil parties to restore the island to the state. BJP leaders promised to take measures to revisit the agreement with Colombo.
In August 2014, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the Supreme Court that the matter was closed, and it would require ‘war’ to get the island back. “Katchchatheevu went to Sri Lanka by an agreement in 1974. It was ceded and now acts as a boundary. How can it be taken back today? If you want it back you will have to go to war,” he said at that time.
Archbishop Emeritus Oswald Gomis in his book ‘Contribution of Catholics for Sri Lanka’s well-being’ states that there was a debate regarding the ownership of Kachchatheevu during the post independence era till Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Sirimavo Bandaranaike reached an agreement under which the island was handed over to Sri Lanka. The Bishop in this book claims that the island was not a private property. The evidence to suggest that the island was owned by Sri Lanka was provided by the Catholic Church according to Bishop Gomis. It was found out that the buildings in the island were constructed by Catholics. The buildings comprised a church and a mission house. The annual feast of the church was organized by the Jaffna Diocese for many years.
Due to Indian politicians calling on their Government to reclaim the island and Sri Lanka claiming ownership of Kachchatheevu, the Island has become a catalyst on the lines of reconciliation among Sinhalese and Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Both Bishop Justin Gnanapragasam of Jaffna and Bishop Raymond Wickramasinghe from Galle, who jointly conducted the festive mass, called for reconciliation in Sri Lanka. “We have been wounded by a war, but a miracle has happened today as a bishop from the South had been invited to participate in the mass at this Kachchatheevu Church for the first time in its history. It is important to share peace with everyone and give life to the Bible. The Bible is not just a book read by Christians which can always give life to it by living a kind of life which it recommends,” Bishop Wickramasinghe said. He added that there is no point in talking of reconciliation if people cannot love each other. Bishop Gnanapragasam also called for reconciliation and lauded the Navy and the Government for facilitating the devotees who visited the island for the feast.
Mariyam Pushpam, a middle aged woman, said she visited the church to offer thanks to St. Anthony for granting her a wish. “I came here last year and asked St. Anthony to give me and my family a chance to go on a pilgrimage to The Vatican. I have got an opportunity to visit The Vatican and I came here to thank the dear saint with my three sons,” she said. Mariyam had arrived in a boat from Chilaw. Maxwell Perera, from Ja-Ela, said that he came to Jaffna by road and then proceeded towards Kachchatheevu by boat. He thanked the Navy and the security forces for providing people with the facilities needed on their visit to the island. He said that he was happy to venerate the saint together with the Indian devotees.
Chief of Defense Staff Admiral Ravindra Wijegunawardene said that he attended the mass also as a devotee. “I was sailing with my crew several years ago in the Northern waters and got caught in a storm. The boat nearly capsized. I began to think of St. Anthony for some reason and we were saved. I began to have faith in St. Anthony from that day onwards. I have attended the feast since then without fail,” he said.
Accordingly it was clear that the military personnel and devotes from both India and Sri Lanka had visited Kachchatheevu for two main purposes; to venerate a saint and pray for peace. Peace prevailed in Kachchatheevu on that day, but will it prevail in the island of Sri Lanka?
===============================================
Kachchatheevu An island that promises peace and reconciliation.......
Though the history of St. Anthony’s Church is not clearly known some believe that it was constructed in 1905 by an Indian Catholic named Seenikuppa Padaiyatchi. Chief of Defense Staff Admiral Ravindra Wijegunawardene’s opinion is that it was constructed by Indian fishermen. The Admiral, who gave a brief description of the 
history of the church, said it had been constructed by Indian fishermen who managed to save their lives after being forced onto the island by a storm. The fishermen who were shipwrecked on the island had constructed the church as a gesture of thanks to St. Anthony, whom they believe saved their lives.
history of the church, said it had been constructed by Indian fishermen who managed to save their lives after being forced onto the island by a storm. The fishermen who were shipwrecked on the island had constructed the church as a gesture of thanks to St. Anthony, whom they believe saved their lives.
A report published in the Indian Express some time back states that Kachchatheevu was a 285-acre island which was located 17 km away from Rameswaram in India.
According to this report there are historical documents dating back to 1609. According to the report the island belonged to the Sethupathis, a royal family who ruled over the district at the time. Two centuries later, the British officials leased Kachchatheevu and maintained it. After 1947, the island became an owner-less land as the members of the royal family could not claim ownership to it any more under Vallabhbhai Patel’s watch.
The island was never suitable for habitation as there were no basic facilities on it such as water. Neither the army nor the LTTE had occupied the island during the conflict period due to this fact
The Indian Government held the island till 1974. It is a fact that Kachchatheevu was handed over to Sri Lanka by the Indira Gandhi led Government of India in 1974 when an agreement was signed in two parts — on June 26 in Colombo and June 28 in New Delhi. The island was ceded to Sri Lanka, but Indian fishermen were allowed access to Kachchatheevu ‘hitherto’. The agreement did not specify fishing rights.
Drafting of the agreement
After emergency was imposed in 1975 and the Tamil Nadu Government was dismissed in 1976, a series of letters were exchanged between the foreign secretaries of India and Sri Lanka. Both Parliament and the state Assembly were non-functional and, without consulting either, another agreement was drafted. This agreement stated, “The fishing vessels and fishermen of India shall not engage in fishing in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Sri Lanka.” While the 1974 Agreement was to settle the maritime boundary in the Palk Bay, the 1976 pact was to determine the boundary in the Gulf of Mannar and Bay of Bengal.
In 1991, the Tamil Nadu Assembly again sought the retrieval of Kachchatheevu and restoration of fishing rights of Tamil fishermen. The Northern Province and maritime boundaries were not guarded tightly, and Indian trawlers routinely entered Sri Lankan waters.
In 2008, ADMK Leader J. Jayalalitha filed a petition saying Kachchatheevu could not be ceded to another country without a constitutional amendment. The petition argued that the 1974 Agreement had affected the traditional fishing rights and livelihoods of Indian fishermen. After becoming chief minister in 2011, she moved a resolution in the Assembly and in 2012 went back to the Supreme Court requesting her petition be expedited in the wake of increasing arrests of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan authorities.
The Congress has always been defensive regarding the role of Indira Gandhi’s Government in handing Katchchatheevu to Sri Lanka. Before the Lok Sabha Polls, the BJP endorsed the demand of Tamil parties to restore the island to the state. BJP leaders promised to take measures to revisit the agreement with Colombo.
In August 2014, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the Supreme Court that the matter was closed, and it would require ‘war’ to get the island back. “Katchchatheevu went to Sri Lanka by an agreement in 1974. It was ceded and now acts as a boundary. How can it be taken back today? If you want it back you will have to go to war,” he said at that time.
Transit point
Archbishop Emeritus Oswald Gomis in his book ‘Contribution of Catholics for Sri Lanka’s well-being’ states that there was a debate regarding the ownership of Kachchatheevu during the post independence era till Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Sirimavo Bandaranaike reached an agreement under which the island was handed over to Sri Lanka. The Bishop in this book claims that the island was not a private property. The evidence to suggest that the island was owned by Sri Lanka was provided by the Catholic Church according to Bishop Gomis. It was found out that the buildings in the island were constructed by Catholics. The buildings comprised a church and a mission house. The annual feast of the church was organized by the Jaffna Diocese for many years.
This fact suggests that the island was controlled by Sri Lanka for a long time. Bishop Gomis in his book explains that South Indians, who had secretly migrated to the central hills in Sri Lanka, had used Kachchatheevu as a transit point. The church has been blamed for providing opportunities for illegal immigrants to enter Sri Lanka. This caused the then Bishop of Jaffna, the late Emaliyanas Pillai, to stop celebrating the feast. However the celebration of the feast re-started following the advice of the late Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike some time later.
Accordingly, the priest in charge of the church Fr. J B Devarajah was sent back to the island to take charge of the church once again.
According to the Sri Lanka Navy the island was never suitable for habitation as there were no basic facilities on it such as water. Neither the army nor the LTTE had occupied the island during the conflict period due to this fact.
According to the Sri Lanka Navy the island was never suitable for habitation as there were no basic facilities on it such as water. Neither the army nor the LTTE had occupied the island during the conflict period due to this fact.
Due to Indian politicians calling on their Government to reclaim the island and Sri Lanka claiming ownership of Kachchatheevu, the Island has become a catalyst on the lines of reconciliation among Sinhalese and Tamils in Sri Lanka.
The festive mass of the annual feast was conducted in both Sinhalese and Tamil for the first time this year. The event serves as a platform for peoples of the two neighbouring countries to meet at least once a year to venerate the saint they both believe in. This was evident with the visit of 1920 Indian Catholics to the feast this year. Among them were six Indian priests who were led by Fr. Anthoney Swamy of St. Joseph’s Church in Wellapudu, Rameshwaram. Some of the Indian fishermen who visited called for a peaceful settlement to the fishermen’s issue between Sri Lanka and India. Apart from the Indians more than 7000 people from Sri Lanka had arrived for the feast. People were seen roughing it out by lying down on mats laid among the shrubs.
Both Bishop Justin Gnanapragasam of Jaffna and Bishop Raymond Wickramasinghe from Galle, who jointly conducted the festive mass, called for reconciliation in Sri Lanka. “We have been wounded by a war, but a miracle has happened today as a bishop from the South had been invited to participate in the mass at this Kachchatheevu Church for the first time in its history. It is important to share peace with everyone and give life to the Bible. The Bible is not just a book read by Christians which can always give life to it by living a kind of life which it recommends,” Bishop Wickramasinghe said. He added that there is no point in talking of reconciliation if people cannot love each other. Bishop Gnanapragasam also called for reconciliation and lauded the Navy and the Government for facilitating the devotees who visited the island for the feast.
Mariyam Pushpam, a middle aged woman, said she visited the church to offer thanks to St. Anthony for granting her a wish. “I came here last year and asked St. Anthony to give me and my family a chance to go on a pilgrimage to The Vatican. I have got an opportunity to visit The Vatican and I came here to thank the dear saint with my three sons,” she said. Mariyam had arrived in a boat from Chilaw. Maxwell Perera, from Ja-Ela, said that he came to Jaffna by road and then proceeded towards Kachchatheevu by boat. He thanked the Navy and the security forces for providing people with the facilities needed on their visit to the island. He said that he was happy to venerate the saint together with the Indian devotees.
There are historical documents dating back to 1609. According to the report the island belonged to the Sethupathis, a royal family who ruled over the district at the time
Chief of Defense Staff Admiral Ravindra Wijegunawardene said that he attended the mass also as a devotee. “I was sailing with my crew several years ago in the Northern waters and got caught in a storm. The boat nearly capsized. I began to think of St. Anthony for some reason and we were saved. I began to have faith in St. Anthony from that day onwards. I have attended the feast since then without fail,” he said.
Accordingly it was clear that the military personnel and devotes from both India and Sri Lanka had visited Kachchatheevu for two main purposes; to venerate a saint and pray for peace. Peace prevailed in Kachchatheevu on that day, but will it prevail in the island of Sri Lanka?
courtesy;Daily Mirror.
===============================================
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