High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, presented a statue of Lord Buddha in Dharmachakra Mudra to the Dharmayatana Temple in Colombo.
The ceremony, attended by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, coincided with Binara Poya and the 160th Birth Anniversary of Srimath Anagarika Dharmapala.
The copper statue, standing four feet tall and weighing 330 kg, was commissioned by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations at the request of Prime Minister Mr Gunawardena. The statue symbolizes Lord Buddha’s first sermon at Sarnath, where he set the Wheel of Dhamma into motion.
A tree-planting ceremony followed, as part of the Ek Ped Maa ke Naam campaign launched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on World Environment Day. Jasmine trees were planted by the Sri Lankan Prime Minister and Indian High Commissioner, further solidifying the cultural ties between the two nations through their shared Buddhist heritage.