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Nanthy flag (Sri Lanka)

Last modified: 2008-08-09 by ian macdonald
Keywords: nanthy flag | hinduism | bull |
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A call for a flag

Several Sri-Lankan newspapers have published more or less the same article by Kalabooshanam Chelvatamby Maniccavasagar, entitled "Maha Shivarathri and Significance of Nanthy flag". Maha Shivarathri (lit., The Great Night of Lord Shiva) is an important Hindu festival, which took place this year on 6 March and seems to be of special significance in Kerala and Sri Lanka.

Quoting the relevant part of the aforementioned article:
"[...] Realizing this divine service the World Saiva Council's (Sri Lanka) vice President, Vice President of All Ceylon Hindu Congress, Vice President of Vivekananda Society and Trustee of the Colombo Saiva Munneta Sangam Mr. Sinnadurai Dhanabalaa (JP) and Secretary of the World Saiva Council (Sri Lanka) Mr. Muttiah Kathirgamanathan and several other eminent personalities like Mrs. Raja Manohari Pulendran, Mr. Subramaniam Chelttias, Trustee of the New Kathiresan Temple, Bambalapitiya, Treasure of the World Saiva Council (Sri Lanka) Mr. R. Vaithamanithy and Mr. Raja Puveneswaran have taken all possible steps to hoist Nanthy flags at new Kathiresan Temple on Maha Sivarathri day and distribute these flags to all the devotees and wellwishers. 

The funds collected on this day will be made use to put up a building in Batticaloa for the orphans affected by war and tsunami. Likewise, the funds collected in Jaffna, Kalmunai, Akkaraipattu, Udappu, Negombo, Vavuniya through the distribution of these Nanthy flags will be used for the respective projects in those particular areas. Further, these flags will be hoisted in various temples and religious organizations in foreign countries, like London, South Africa, Australia, Canada, France and various other countries. Furthermore, the flag hoisting ceremony in Temples particularly on Mahasivarathri day indicates that the descended Kundalani Sakthy at Moolatharam of our spinal chord should rise to the head.

The flag lowering ceremony indicates how this supreme conscience descends down from the head to the body (creation) and reach the end of the spinal cord. In fact, the hoisting of Nanth Kodi (Nanthy Flag) at the top of the Rajagopurams of the temples and in other religious organizations will undoubtedly explain the principles and philosophies of Saivaism to achieve the goal of life."

There is an image attached to the article, made of a black rectangle including a swallow-tailed crimson pennant featuring a bull, but I don't know whether the Nanthy flag is the whole image or only the pennant (which would make more sense).

http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/03/06/fea02.asp - Daily News, 6 March 2008

Ivan Sache, 1 May 2008