The Sri Lankan Community in the State of Hessen celebrated Deepavali at the Shri Katpaga Vinayagar Temple in Frankfurt am Main. Consul General in Frankfurt Madurika Joseph Weninger participated in the Deepavali Celebration on the invitation of the President and trustees of the Kovil. It is the first time the Sri Lanka Consul General in Frankfurt was invited for the Deepavali Celebrations. A large gathering of Sri Lankan Hindu devotees attended the Deepavali Pooja to invoke blessings on the people present, the Consulate staff and the people of Sri Lanka. The Hindu Priest of the Temple Ayyar Somasundara Sharma conducted the Pooja.
Addressing the devotees, Consul General Weninger said that all Sri Lankans are welcome at the Consulate and to treat the Mission as their home away from home as the consular staff who are conversant in all four languages are there to help in all consular services they require. She added that this event was a unique opportunity for all participants to come together as a family and seek divine blessings. Consul General further stated that she was committed to serve the Sri Lankan community and informed about the forthcoming mobile consular services being organized in neighbouring federal states of Germany.
The Shri Katpaga Vinayagar Temple Frankfurt Lanka was the first Hindu Kovil to be opened in the State of Hessen. It was established in the year 2000 for the benefit of the Sri Lankan community residing in and around the Hessian Federal State.