The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Berlin with the participation of well over 150 Sri Lankans based in Berlin, commemorated the Hindu religious festival, Deepawali on Friday the 31st October 2014 at the Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple, Kreuzberg, Berlin.

The participants were a cross section of Singhalese, Tamils and Muslims as well as Germans.

This was another valuable intative by Ambassador Amunugama to bring all Sri Lankan communites living in Berlin, under one roof to promote peace and harmony among them on the day of the" Festival of Light". Hindu devotees sang devotional songs after the pooja to Lord Ganesha, Shiva, Muruga etc.

Addressing the gathering Ambassador Amunugama made it a point to address the gathering in Tamil shortly and followed by English. He thanked the management of Sri Ganesha Temple for cooperating with the Embassy in making the Deepawali festival a success. He also highlighted the significance of Deepawali in the Sri Lankan context, “The celebration of Deepawali today is a momentum, which brings the new light of hope and peace to the people of Sri Lanka. The unity among the expatriate community living in Germany is vital at this moment to move forward to develop the country" he said.

Mr. Krishnamurthi, committee member of Sri Ganesha Temple addressed the gathering and viewed the importance of the commemoration of the Deepawali even with non hindus. The ceremony was concluded with serving of an assortment of traditional Sri Lankan vegetarian food to the guests.