Thousands of Hindu devotees were expected to flock to the historic Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil for the annual Nallur festival, which began yesterday and ends on August 19. The annual festival is being celebrated on a grand scale this year, with the dawn of peace in the country.

Sri Lanka Tourism, as an initiative to promote religious and cultural tourism, has spearheaded the promotion of the historic Nallur Festival, particularly with the Tamil Diaspora, who was encouraged to come with their families and participate in the festivities.

Minister of Tourism Promotion Faiszer Musthapha with a delegation from the Tourism Ministry and Tourism Industry visited Jaffna last week to develop and promote the tourism and hotel industry in the peninsula ahead of the festival.

"This is the first time that the Nallur Festival is being celebrated with peace prevailing in the country," Musthapha said "After the successful eradication of terrorism in Sri Lanka, Hindu devotees are finally able to perform their religious rites without any hassle. The government has not only been successful in providing freedom of religious observance for the Hindu community but has also provided facilities for them to perform their religious duties without being subject to duress and harassment.

Sri Lanka Tourism is working closely with Heli Tours, the commercial branch of the Sri Lanka Air Force and has introduced direct charters flights to transport devotees to Jaffna during the festival.

The Nallur Festival is one of the highlights of the social, cultural and spiritual milieu of the Jaffna society.