A Hindu Ganesha temple located on Habarana Main Road in Anuradhapura has been partially destroyed by local authorities to make way for a bus stop, according to local reports.
The front entrance of the temple was demolished, and a wall was erected to facilitate the new construction, leaving worshippers devastated.
This latest act of destruction comes amid ongoing efforts by the Sri Lankan state to alter the ethnic and cultural landscape of Tamil regions. Tamil activists and community leaders have condemned the move as yet another example of state-sponsored Sinhalisation, where Hindu and Tamil landmarks are either erased or replaced by Buddhist structures as part of a long-standing colonisation project by the state.
For decades, Tamils have been struggling to protect their places of worship from the Sri Lankan state's systematic attempts to erase their cultural and religious identity. The destruction of Hindu temples and Tamil historical monuments has intensified, particularly in the North-East, where Sri Lanka’s military occupation remains heavy.
Local Hindus have strongly condemned the destruction of the Ganesha temple in Anuradhapura and have demanded immediate action from authorities to reconstruct the damaged sections of the shrine. They have also called on the international community to recognise the ongoing cultural genocide against Tamils and to hold the Sri Lankan government accountable for systematically erasing Tamil heritage.
Despite a change in government, the state’s approach remains unchanged, raising fears that the new administration under Anura Kumara Dissanayake will continue the policies of its predecessors in marginalising Tamils and altering the demographic makeup of their homeland.
