High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka H.E Santosh Jha handed over a statue of Lord Buddha in Dharmachakra Mudra to the Dharmayathanaya Temple at Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo, in the presence of Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena, during a ceremony today, 17th September 2024, coinciding with the special occasion of Binara Poya and the 160th Birth Anniversary of Srimath Anagarika Dharmapala.
The 4-foot-tall copper statue, weighing nearly 330 kgs, was specially commissioned by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations on the request of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena. The statue, received by Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thero, Chief Incumbent of the Dharmayathanaya Temple, depicts Lord Buddha in the Dharmachakra Mudra. The Mudra represents one of the most important moments in the life of Lord Buddha – the occasion when he preached, at the Deer Park at Sarnath, the first sermon after his Enlightenment. It thus symbolizes the setting into motion of the ‘Wheel of Dhamma’.
The auspicious occasion was marked by a tree plantation ceremony on the premises of the Dharmayathanaya Temple. Joining the #Plant4Mother campaign, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and High Commissioner of India planted Idda saplings in the temple complex. The #Plant4Mother campaign was launched by Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi on World Environment Day 2024 by planting a Bodhi Tree sapling at Buddha Jayanti Park in New Delhi. Previously under the campaign, Sri Lanka India Parliamentary Friendship Association had inaugurated ‘Sri Lanka-India Friendship Arch’ by planting Murutha saplings at the National Sandalwood Garden, Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte in August 2024.
The event held today reinforces the shared Buddhist heritage between India and Sri Lanka. In order to further strengthen this civilisational bond, Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi had announced a special grant of USD 15 million for promotion of Buddhist ties with Sri Lanka in September 2020. As the first project under the special grant assistance, solar electrification to cover 9000 Buddhist Temples and Pirivenas across Sri Lanka is being undertaken. In addition, solar electrification of over 4000 Buddhist Temples and Pirivenas across Sri Lanka is underway through an Indian USD 17 million credit line. Expositions of the Kapilavastu and Sarnath relics from India have been held in Sri Lanka in the recent past. The Government of India also sponsors pilgrimage trips and special visits for Sri Lankan devotees to the Buddhist Circuit in India. The High Commission of India in Sri Lanka, the Assistant High Commission, Consulates General and the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre continue to undertake several initiatives to further deepen Buddhist linkages between the two countries. These include a mobile photo exhibition of the sites along the Buddhist Circuit at different temples on each Poya Day throughout this year in Sri Lanka, educational support through provision of resource materials to Pirivenas across Sri Lanka, among many others.