The Mullaitivu Magistrate's Court has ruled in favour of the Neeraviyadi Pillaiyar temple, confirming its longstanding existence in old Semmalai.
Making the ruling last month, the court said that the temple's prayers and services should not be hindered by a Buddhist monk who has built a vihara next to the temple.
Any future building work to the vihara should only take place with the permission of the local government department.
The court also ruled that the temple's name, which had been changed by the Buddhist monk to the Sinhalese words, 'Ganadevu Devalaya', should be reverted back to its original Tamil name, 'Neeraviyadi Pillaiyar Temple'.
