Sri Lanka Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and High Commissioner of India Gopal Baglay issued a Special Commemorative Cover for Sita Temple (Seetha Eliya) in Nuwara Eliya at a special event on 23 April 2023. They also laid the foundation stone for a Meditation Centre at the historic Temple.
Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena recalled that India stood by Sri Lanka during the difficult time of unprecedented crisis and emphasized that the Meditation Centre will contribute to tourism and human development.
High Commissioner appreciated the presence of a group of devotees who had travelled from India especially for the occasion and described them as ambassadors of the best civilisational heritage and values that India and Sri Lanka share for millennia. He also thanked the Prime Minister for the initiatives undertaken by the Government of Sri Lanka to enhance connectivity between India and Sri Lanka, including the recent resumption of Chennai-Jaffna flight, and the announcement for resumption of ferry services. He further stressed the significance of Ramayana Trail for attracting more tourism to Sri Lanka and also for deepening the people-to-people ties between the two close and friendly neighbouring countries.
The Temple is believed to signify the place of Ashok Vatika in the epic Ramayana and a large number of devotees particularly from India visit the Temple, which is yet another symbol of the age-old and diverse ties between the people of the two countries.
