Durban - Founded to preserve, prosper and promote Saivism, the World Saiva Council (WSC) will play host to more than 150 international delegates who will descend on Durban for a Unity in Diversity mini-conference this weekend.
Saivism (also known as Shaivism) is one of the major traditions within modern Hinduism and is devoted to the worship of Lord Shiva as the supreme being.
Believers or followers of Saivism are referred to as Saivites.
The Saiva mini-conference will take place at the Saiva Sithantha Sungum Hall in Westcliff, Chatsworth.
The main speakers are local Saivite scholar Thyagarajan Govender and a visiting professor from Chennai, Gopalan Krishnan, who will share insights from the youth perspective.
Kumeran Govender will also present a paper on the same message.
Included in the programme are dance performances and sacred hymns by India-trained artist Pregalthan Vadivel.
The PRO of the SA branch of WSC, Subramoney Pillay, said: “We want to unite the Saiva movement and speak in one voice to take us forward and spread Saivism.”
Doraivelu Maduray, president of WSC South Africa, said: “Saivites have over the years formed perceptions that each group worships differently, not realising they are all worship one God.
“We are therefore hosting this event to try to bring together individuals and hope to have a more enlightened outlook at the end of it.”
The WSC is a non-profit organisation founded by the late Swami Siva Nandhi Adilcalilar in 1992 in Chennai at a public meeting of international delegates in order to bring about a change in Saivism in the context of modern world challenges by the implementation of well-thought-out action plans both in the long and short term.
The next year, a bilingual quarterly journal entitled, Saiva Ulakam, reviewing global Saiva news and views is already in publication.
From 1994, the Saiva prayer manual was published.
Before his death, Adilcalilar managed to establish 11 branches of the organisation including in India, the UK, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius, Australia, South Africa, Canada, France, Switzerland and Singapore.
International conferences were held at all of these venues.
The South African conference was held in September 1996 and was attended by 800 delegates from many parts of the world.