President Sirisena, in a message to mark Mahashivaratri, said religion provides great relief to people.

‘Religions provide great relief to the people in today’s competitive world as their lives are becoming increasingly depressed,’ the President said.

‘The religious way of life, which is more towards the spiritual awakening, can be considered as an essential ingredient for building a better society’

The full message by the President is given below:

‘The prime expectation and the noble vision of all the religions is to promote existence of spiritually and morally cultured humans. All the rituals and celebrations performed by the humans are designed to recall those core values of the religious teachings.

These religious ceremonies, that are being held to dispel the darkness of ignorance and conceit with the light of knowledge, love and peace help tremendously for the human beings to live with sustenance of human dignity in the contemporary world of new technology.

Religions provide great relief to the people in today's competitive world as their lives are becoming increasingly depressed. The religious way of life, which is more towards the spiritual awakening, can be considered as an essential ingredient for building a better society.

The Hindu devotees world over including Sri Lankan Hindus celebrate the ‘Maha Shivarathri’ with the objective of enhancing their spiritual discipline.

I wish all Hindu devotees who celebrate the ‘Mahashiva Rathri Day,’ expressing their gratitude to Lord Shiva by fasting and keeping a night-long vigil at temples, may achieve their aspirations.’