Fifty kilometres along the train route from Kandy lies the path to Sri Pada, a holy shrine of a much different nature.

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He hung this on the wall next to The Wages of Sin, a pedestal table dripping with candles in rainbow hues, as though audiences were standing before a holy shrine at mass, a nod to his Catholic upbringing.

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Pilgrims flock to the Gates of Dawn, its most holy Catholic shrine.

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He has repeatedly urged Shiites to refrain from retaliatory violence against Sunnis, and was for the most part successful until the bombing of a holy Shiite shrine in Samarra in February 2006.

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Originally danced by holy officers of the Shrine to demonstrate the power of the mountain deity and bless the people, the Hayachine Kagura is now performed by representatives of the entire community, who take pride in their distinctive culture.

UNESCO: Culture

The bloc's leader, Nassar Rubaie, said Tuesday that the government had addressed its concerns over the need to pursue the rebuilding of Al-Askariya Mosque, the bombed-out Shiite shrine in Samarra, and to improve security at the shrine and other holy places.

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NPR's Anne Garrels was in the Shiite holy city of Najaf as news spread of the bombing of the Shiite shrine in Samarra yesterday.

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