As night fell, the bharata natyam performances depicted Murugan's divine career. Minister S. Thondaman of Sri Lanka brought 24 scholars, the largest foreign delegation, and A.V. Chettiar, Mauritius Vice-President, also brought a large group. Plenty of non-Tamils too came or sent papers from nations such as Japan, Singapore, USA, UK, France, Italy, Poland, Israel, Finland, Brazil and Australia. South Indian industrialist N. Mahalingam, welcoming everyone, observed that Murugan temple worship is a global phenomenon. A.V. Chettiar affirmed long-term cultural ties between Tamil Nadu and Mauritius, noting that with its 108 Murugan temples, worship in Mauritius is as widespread as in Tamil Nadu.
Religious conferences are sometimes painfully scholastic.
But this one took a different path. As word circulated, ranks of enthused Murugan worshipers signed up from India and abroad, setting the stage for a merger of intellects and humble bhaktas . Take Valli Malai Balananda Sadhu, whose mystical knowledge helped illuminate Murugan, a more ethereal, subtle God than Ganesha. As days passed, Murugan research bubbled forth. Alexander Dubianski of Moscow State University examined Murugan's space and time associations, and S. Pathmanathan traced historical roots of the Hindu-Buddhist interaction in Sri Lanka.