COLOMBO : Millennia-old Buddhist linkages between India and Sri Lanka date back to the times of Lord Buddha. The arrival of Mahinda Thero and Sangamitta Theri to Sri Lanka marks the establishment of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. The sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree and the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha has an eminent position in the hearts of the Buddhist community in Sri Lanka.
In the contemporary times, these linkages manifest in multiple ways. Religious exposition is central to this. Venerated relics of Lord Buddha from Kapilawastu were brought from India to Sri Lanka in 1978 and 2012. The latter was on the request of H.E Mahinda Rajapaska, the then President of Sri Lanka, to mark the 2600th anniversary of the Enlightenment of the Buddha. The sacred Saranath relics were own down during the Vesak celebrations in 2018.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Guest at the 2017 International Vesak Day celebrations in Sri Lanka. Prime Ministers of the two countries were a part of the virtual Vesak Day celebrations in 2021. President of India Ram Nath Kovind planted a sapling of the Bodhi tree in the garden at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Presidential house, on the auspicious Esala Poya Day in July 2021.
The human connection is also significant. Father of the Indian Constitution Dr. B. R. Ambedkar visited Sri Lanka to study the practice of Buddhism in 1950. In 1956, Dr. Ambedkar embraced Buddhism along with around 500,000 followers. Buddhist pilgrimage trips for the clergy, laity and Armed Forces are also organized frequently between the two countries. A pilgrimage trip to Kushinagar, the place of Lord Buddha’s Mahaparinibbana, is being planned. Numerous special ceremonies and prayers including chanting of Rathna Sutra held across Temples in Sri Lanka for their Indian brethren during the COVID surge in India earlier this year testify to the enduring human bonds.
Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), the cultural arm of the High Commission of India organizes Dhamma Discourses and several other outreach programmes with Buddhist Educational institutions, such as Pirivenas, other establishments and clergy on a continuous basis. Prime Minister Modi announced a dedicated USD 15 million fund to deepen the Buddhist ties during the Virtual Bilateral Summit on 26 September 2020.
