A Sri Lankan Tamil devotee offers prayers while paying homage to an oil lamp during the Maha Shivaratri (Great night of Shiva) Festival at the Sri Ponnambalawaneswarar Devasthanam Hindu temple in Kochchikade yesterday. The festival of Maha Shivaratri is marked by Hindus by fasting and offering prayers in an all-night vigil. Pix by Pradeep Pathirana