COLOMBO, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Over 400,000 devotees have flocked to Sri Lanka's northern Mannar district Saturday for an annual religious festival, military officials here said.

    The annual feast of the Madhu Church ends on Saturday, the first since the government troops liberated the entire north and eastern provinces from the control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels.

    "We have provided ample security for pilgrims around the area", Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, the military spokesman said.

    The Madu church, the holiest shrine for the island's Catholic minority, is revered across the island.

    Its location in the heart of the former conflict zone saw the centuries-old church coming under extensive shelling blamed on both sides to the conflict.

    Though it was declared a peace zone during the annual festival held there in August every year, the area was never completely safe.

    But with the military's complete crushing of the rebels last May, this was the first year in more than 3 decades that complete peace had prevailed in the area.

    The newly appointed Bishop of Colombo Dr. Ranjith Malcolm was to conduct the main mid day mass on Saturday.

    The ritual of parading of the Holy Mary statue is to take place on Sunday, signaling the end of the festivities.