No evidence to link the attack to hate crime: Police
Ottawa police are investigating after a statue of Buddha that was brought from Sri Lanka was vandalized in a temple, according to several Canadian television reports.
Police responded to a call from Hilda Jayewardenaramaya Buddhist Monastery and Meditation Centre on Friday morning after members of the community discovered the head of the statue smashed with an iron bar.
Constructed in the tradition of the Samadhi statue of the ancient city of Anuradhapura, it was in the front garden of the temple. Two monks are living in the temple. Police believe the damage had occurred some time between 9:30 p.m. and 7:30 a.m.on Friday and say that there is currently no evidence to suggest that this is a hate crime, according to Canadian television reports.
The head of the white statue has been smashed apart. It was installed last October at a cost $8000. The temple authorities are looking to repair the smashed head of the statue but if that cannot be restored they hope to bring another one from Sri Lanka which will cost between $8000 to $10,000. This is the first time that such a thing has happened after 20 years, according to the devotees of the temple. Ven. Suneetha who resides at the temple told the TV that the statue was erected to symbolize inner peace as preached by Buddhism.
Manoj De Silva, the temple’s treasurer, said the statue was installed in October. An iron bar believed to have been used to damage the statue was found nearby, according to him.
“We had some religious activities going on during the day and there were some meditation programs too. So, at that time [the vandalism happened] the temple was open so anybody could step in at any moment. So we are concerned about the safety of the resident monks,” he added.
Several years ago, during the final siege of the ethnic war in Sri Lanka, a Buddhist temple in Scarborough, about a three-hour drive from capital Ottawa, was partially damaged in an attack. There are several Sri Lankan Buddhist temples in Toronto and the surrounding suburbs with a large number of Buddhists regularly attending religious ceremonies. (Pictures courtesy CTV)
