COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A proposal by the Sri Lanka Air Force to install a radar system on land within the historic Fort Frederick precinct in Trincomalee has drawn opposition from trustees of the Thirukoneswaram Temple, who say the move threatens the sanctity of the site and extends a decades-long pattern of military encroachment.
The temple, which is associated in local tradition with King Ravana, is a Hindu shrine perched on a rocky promontory overlooking the Indian Ocean in eastern Sri Lanka. It is among the country’s most visited religious and cultural landmarks. It is also revered as one of the Pancha Ishwarams — the five ancient abodes of Lord Shiva on the island — and holds deep spiritual significance in Hindu religious life, attracting thousands of devotees from Sri Lanka and India.
A member of the temple's Board of Trustees, Mr. Jeyasankar, urged the public on Friday to resist the proposed installation, saying that successive security deployments in the area had steadily eroded the grounds surrounding the shrine. He has served the temple for more than four decades and is a founding member of its current trustee board.
"If land is now allocated for the Air Force as well, we will be left asking what remains of our land," Mr. Jeyasankar said.
The temple's holdings extend to approximately 247 acres, he said, citing a copper plate grant issued during British rule and preserved at a religious institution in India as evidence of long-established land rights.
Mr. Jeyasankar said the proposed radar site was the latest in a series of state security installations that have reduced temple-controlled land over the years. The Sri Lanka Army had earlier closed off a traditional small tank at the temple's entrance, he said. A police headquarters was subsequently established nearby, and a naval base was later built on Swami Rock, the cliff known locally as Nandi Malai.
He questioned why the Air Force had selected the temple precinct when other sites in the region, including the China Bay area, could accommodate radar infrastructure without affecting a place of worship.
"There is a need to understand the intention behind choosing this location," he said.
Beyond the religious concerns, Mr. Jeyasankar warned that further military construction could deter visitors to Trincomalee, where the temple — dramatic in its cliffside setting — anchors the city's tourism economy.
Officials have not publicly detailed the scope or rationale of the proposed installation. The Air Force has not publicly responded to the concerns raised. Further details about the project are expected to emerge in the coming days.
