SHKS invites President Ramkalawan to join religious celebrations |23 August 2022
Members of the Seychelles Hindu Kovil Sangam with President Ramkalawan (Photo: Louis Toussaint)
Members of the Seychelles Hindu Kovil Sangam (SHKS) called on President Wavel Ramkalawan at State House yesterday afternoon to extend an invitation to the Head of State and Vice-President to attend the Vinayagar Charthurti Festival.
The 10-day festival is of utmost importance to the Hindu community, marking and celebrating the birth of Lord Ganesha, the god of prosperity and wisdom.
Chairman of the SHKS, Gopal Pillay, expressed to the media his satisfaction on behalf of the local Hindu community, as the Head of State agreed to be in attendance for the special ceremony to be held on August 31 at the Sri Navasakthi Vinayagar temple, which celebrated its 30th anniversary earlier this year.
The auspicious Hindu festival is celebrated in the Bhadra month as per the Hindu calendar which generally falls in mid-August to September, and is celebrated with great devotion and joy by Hindus throughout the world.
It is believed that devotees who pray to Ganesha are able to fulfil their wishes and desires, so, the main essence of the celebration is that devotees who pray to him are set free of sins and it leads them on the path of knowledge and wisdom.