Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister Namal Rajapaksa on Wednesday gifted a Sinhala version of Bhagwad Gita to Prime Minister Narenda Modi. It also carries a message from the Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa.
“When Minister Namal Rajapaksa met our PM, he presented to him a copy of Bhagavad Gita in Sinhala language, in which his father Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa has written a personal message to our PM, ” said Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, in Kushinagar.
Namal Rajpaksa said India’s invitation to a delegation of Sri Lankan Buddhist clergies to join the inaugural international flight to Kushinagar will be cherished for years to come.
Speaking at an event organised to mark Abhidhamma Day, 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.”
Rajapaksa said that Buddhism is the greatest gift India had given to Sri Lanka.
He further noted that Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa commissioned the translation of Bhagwad Gita in all languages spoken in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Minister further thanked Prime Minister Modi for extending a grant of USD 50 million to strengthen Buddhist ties between our two nations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Kushinagar International Airport in Uttar Pradesh earlier on Wednesday. On June 24, 2020, Kushinagar Airport was declared as an international airport by the Union Cabinet.
Kushinagar is the final resting place of Gautam Buddha where he attained Mahaparinirvana after his death and is among the most important pilgrim spots for Buddhists.
The new airport, built at an estimated cost of Rs 260 crore, is part of the government’s endeavour to connect Buddhist pilgrimage sites around the world. After inaugurating the airport, Modi said it will boost connectivity and tourism, while also helping develop an entire economic ecosystem in the region and create new job opportunities.
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