Handing over statue of Lord Buddha in Dharmachakra Mudra to Dharmayathanaya Temple, Colombo
High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka 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, 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 kg, was specially commissioned by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations at 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 critical 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’.
A tree plantation ceremony on the premises of the Dharmayathanaya Temple marked the auspicious occasion. Joining the #Plant4Mother campaign, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and the High Commissioner of India planted Idda saplings in the temple complex.
The #Plant4Mother campaign was launched by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on World Environment Day 2024 by planting a Bodhi Tree sapling at Buddha Jayanti Park in New Delhi.
Previously under the campaign, the 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 reinforces the shared Buddhist heritage between India and Sri Lanka. To further strengthen this civilizational bond, Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi announced a special grant of USD 15 million to promote Buddhist ties with Sri Lanka in September 2020.
As the first project under 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 recently in Sri Lanka.
The Government of India also sponsors pilgrimage trips and unique visits for Sri Lankan devotees to the Buddhist Circuit in India.
The High Commission of India in Sri Lanka, the Assistant High Commission, the Consulates General, and the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre continue undertaking several initiatives to deepen Buddhist linkages between the two countries further.
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 and educational support through the provision of resource materials to Pirivenas across Sri Lanka, among many others.