Namal meets Modi and gifts Bhagavad Gita
Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa gifted the Bhagavad Gita to
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Parinirvana Stupa yesterday (Wednesday)
after the inauguration of the Kushinagar International Airport in the city.
Following the inauguration ceremony, Sri Lanka’s Cabinet
Minister gifted a trilingual version of the Bhagavad Gita to PM Modi, which
also carried a message from Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Speaking at an event organised to mark Abhidhamma Day,
Rajapaksa thanked Prime Minister Modi for extending a grant of USD 15 million
to Sri Lanka to strengthen the Buddhist ties between the two nations.
Rajapaksa said, “It gives me great pleasure and honour to be
on the inaugural international flight to Kushinagar on the auspicious day of
Vap Poya Day. I recall it was Indian PM Modi who suggested to the Sri Lankan
Prime Minister during the Virtual Bilateral Summit with Sri Lanka in September
2020, that 100 members of Buddhist clergy must join for the inaugural flight to
Kushinagar operated by Sri Lankan airlines. It’s an honour we will cherish for
years to come.”
Mr Rajapaksa said that Buddhism is the greatest gift India
had given to Sri Lanka. “Ever since it (Buddhism) arrived in Sri Lanka, the
relationship between our countries have been growing,” he said.
He further noted that Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa
commissioned the translation of Bhagavad Gita in all languages spoken in Sri
Lanka.
Earlier, Sports Minister Rajapaksa lauded the gesture of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of inviting and making the Sri Lankan airlines to
be the first to land at the airport.
“It is a great gesture by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to
open an international airport at Kushinagar, especially inviting Sri Lankan
airlines as the first international carrier to land at the airport. We believe
there are numerous travellers who travel to India for Buddhist pilgrimage, and
opening an airport at such a holy place for the Buddhists will not only benefit
the Buddhists of Sri Lanka but also Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world,”
Mr Rajapaksa said while talking to ANI.
The Ambassador of Bhutan, Maj Gen Vetsop Namgyel told ANI
that the inauguration of the airport will make the Buddhist circuit tourism
very convenient.
“Wonderful development, as it will give the opportunity to
Buddhist countries to come very conveniently to the most sacred place where
Lord Buddha entered into Paranirvana. It will make the Buddhist circuit tourism
very convenient,” he said.
Hoping that the inauguration of the airport would attract a lot of tourists from Thailand, the Ambassador of Thailand, Pattarat Hongtong said that the airport would facilitate and boost their visit to the country.
“We have a lot of Thailand people who come here for
pilgrimage. So having the new international airport would facilitate and boost
the visit of the Thai people. I am sure we will have a lot of tourists coming
in from Thailand. The Thai people like to come to India to complete the
Buddhist circuit, so having an international flight would make the trip much
easier,” she told ANI.
Speaking to ANI, the Ambassador of Vietnam, Pham Sanh Chau
expressed his bliss on the inauguration of the airport and said that the
biggest amount of visitors coming to India are for the Buddhist pilgrimage.
“The biggest amount of visitors coming from Vietnam to India
are the Buddhist and for the Buddhist pilgrimage. So we are very happy to see
this airport become an international airport. This would reduce the travel
distance very much. I and my family have been here too, and I believe that we
have to boost more tourism coming from Vietnam,” he said.
Ambassador of Myanmar Moe Kyaw Aung said that the move will
attract more tourists from Myanmar as the majority of the population are
Buddhists
Source: Colombopage
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