By Charles Haviland BBC News, Colombo

	Sanath Jayasuriya has abandoned his planned visit to Chennai

Demonstrations also forced two prominent Sri Lankan cricketers to withdraw from a match in the city.

Tensions between Sri Lanka and its nearest neighbour have risen slightly after two Indian fishermen were killed in the sea between the two countries.

Uneasiness has again arisen between the Sinhalese-majority island and the Tamil-populated Indian state of Tamil Nadu, just over the water.

Villagers in southern India blamed the Sri Lankan navy after the recent deaths of two of their fishermen in separate incidents.

Killing of fishermen

India’s central government in Delhi said that the second one was allegedly due to use of force by Sri Lankan navy personnel and asked for a serious investigation by Colombo.

	Mahabodhi Temple in Chennai was attacked on Monday evening

The Sri Lankan foreign ministry said there were no naval vessels near the incidents but it also asked for more information so that any perpetrators could be brought to account.

It was then Colombo’s turn to feel aggrieved after a mob in the Tamil Nadu state capital, Chennai, attacked one of the very few Sinhalese institutions there – a Buddhist temple run by Sri Lankans.

Four monks including an elderly one were beaten up.

As Sri Lankan diplomats expressed concern, the Indian authorities reportedly arrested two suspects.

At the same time, two veteran Sri Lankan cricketers had to abandon an attempt to play in a corporate tournament, the Chennai Super Sixes Finals, after a group usually described as pro-Tamil Tiger threatened to surround the stadium.

The group said it particularly objected to the presence of the veteran all-rounder, Sanath Jayasuriya, who in a rare mix between sport and politics was recently elected to the Sri Lankan parliament for the governing party.

Diplomatic ties between Colombo and Delhi are generally very good. But at the grassroots level things are often more tense.