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Most are undamaged
There have been reports of several religious statues being recovered undamaged from among the debris of destroyed villages. A survey conducted by the Buddha Sasana Ministry found that no Buddha statues in the Kalutara, Galle, Matara and Hambantota districts were damaged by the tsunami.

A ministry official, however, said that certain locations within these areas have not been examined yet as assessment teams were unable to go there. A similar phenomenon has been noticed in Catholic and Muslim places of worship. The famous "Our Lady of Matara" statue, which slipped through its glass casing and was thought to have been snatched by the waves, was later found by a fisherman, undamaged.

The same seemed to be true of other places of worship. Mohamed Faizeen drew attention to a Madrasa, a place where students are sent to learn the Quran, in the small village of Ulle, close to Pottuvil. "The building was undamaged though the entire area was devastated," says Mr. Faizeen.

Several volunteer workers who have visited the southern and eastern coastal areas said many religious statues remained intact. "Along the coast I noticed that the statues were not damaged," says one relief worker, adding that they saw only one statue in Hambantota partially damaged.

Sri Lanka Jamath-E-Islam official Moulavi Abdul Rahman said that the Grand Mosque in Hambantota was destroyed while three mosques in Kinniya and a mosque in Kirinda were damaged.

While many believe that these statues were protected by divine intervention, there are a few who feel that it could be because of structural reasons. "People take time and great care to build these places" was an explanation.

"I don't think God will destroy people and save statues," says Fr. Ferdinandez who also believes however that certain statues may have survived simply because they were well built. Statues might have a certain power within themselves too because they are worshipped and honoured by so many, he said.

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