Monday Sep 23, 2024
Monday Sep 23, 2024
Thursday, 21 October 2021 04:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay carrying the KapilaVastu Relics to the inaugural flight
Signifying a milestone in Sri Lankan and Indian bilateral relations, the landing of the national carrier SriLankan Airlines marked the inauguration of the Kushinagar International Airport yesterday.
The first international aircraft – UL 1147 – to Kushinagar was operated to India at the special request made by Indian Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
A special delegation from Sri Lanka included 100 members of the Maha Sanga and Youth and Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa-led Parliamentary envoys representing the Government on the auspicious occasion of Vap Poya held yesterday.
At the request of the Indian Prime Minister, the KapilaVastu Relics placed at the Waskaduwa Temple in Sri Lanka were flown by this inaugural flight for the Buddhist devotees at Kushinagar.
Kushinagar is considered as the ‘Mahaparinirvana’ site of Tathagata Gautam Buddha in attaining the ultimate state of peace, and a major religious and leisure tourism attraction.
Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga and Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay were also present to witness this historic moment, where the flight UL 1147 took off at 5:20 a.m. from the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) – Katunayake yesterday.
The Indian High Commissioner said that this was a historic occasion for the two countries, adding that the visit would further strengthen the bilateral ties between India and Sri Lanka.
The Tourism Minister said the Katunayake-Kushinagar direct flight would be a new chapter in religious relations between the two countries, noting that the air connectivity will be more convenient for Sri Lankan Buddhist pilgrims in future.
The Parliamentary delegation included State Ministers D.V. Chanaka, Vijitha Berugoda, Sisira Jayakody and Jeevan Thondaman.
To mark the opening, as well as to further strengthen bilateral ties, two historical photographs will be presented to India by the people of Sri Lanka with the blessings of the Maha Sangha. The Indian Government has taken steps to install these photographs as a result of a proposal by High Commissioner Milinda Moragoda.
These photographs feature two murals painted by the eminent Sri Lankan painter Solias Mendis (1897-1975) in the Kelaniya Rajamaha Vihara, which is the Buddhist temple believed to be the venue of the third visit of the Buddha to Sri Lanka.
India›s greatest emperor, the Buddhist ruler Dharmashoka, sent both his son and daughter to Sri Lanka as emissaries to introduce and spread the teachings of the Buddha. The first mural depicts Arahat Bhikkhu Mahinda, son of Emperor Ashoka, delivering the message of the Buddha to King Devanampiyatissa of Sri Lanka upon arriving on the island.
The second mural depicts the arrival of There Bhikkhuni Sanghamitta to Sri Lanka, the daughter of the emperor, bearing the right-hand branch sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi tree under which Gautama Siddhartha attained enlightenment. The sapling, which was planted in the ancient capital of Anuradhapura of Sri Lanka in 249 BCE, has survived for over two millennia. The Bo tree bears the distinction of being the oldest historically recorded living tree in the world and is revered by Buddhists worldwide.
These two historical events that occurred in the third century BCE marked the commencement of Buddhist civilisation in Sri Lanka and epitomise the strong and unbreakable relations that exist between the two neighbouring countries.
