500,000 pilgrims expected to visit Madhu Marian shrine
(July 30,2009):-The Sri Lankan government has declared "no limits" on the number of
pilgrims allowed to visit the revered Madhu shrine for the August feast of the Assumption
on Aug.15.. Around 500,000 are expected to travel to the 400-year-old Shrine of Our
Lady of Madhu in Mannar diocese, 220 kilometers to the north of Colombo. The shrine
lies in a jungle area, where government and Tamil rebel forces fought several battles
during the 25-year civil war . The government has vowed to finish clearing land mines
near the site, and says it has started construction work on the main road leading
to the shrine. Highways Minister T.B. Ekanayake told the media, "The roads within
the Madhu shrine will also be reconstructed, and cost of the construction is 157 million
rupees (US$1.4 million)." The administrator of the shrine, Father Barnabas Fred
Desmond Culas, made a plea for pilgrims to prepare well and bring sufficient food,
firewood, drinking water and tents for their visit. Wells and ponds in the area are
being tested for contamination, and a special medical team will be on duty at Madhu
hospital, the priest reported. Street lamps around the shrine will be turned on after
years of darkness, he added.