Underlining the deep people-to-people connect and shared Buddhist heritage between India and Sri Lanka, Dr. Rewant Vikram Singh, Director of Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), cultural arm of the High Commission of India undertook a three-day Dhamma Yatra to Kadurawewa and Bingiriya villages of the Kurunegala district from 24-26 April 2021. The Yatra was undertaken mainly to commemorate the auspicious Bak Full Moon Poya Day.
During the Yatra, Most Venerable Mahasangha and the people of Kadurawewa and Bingiriya villages held a prayer ceremony at Sri Sudarshanaramaya Temple in solidarity with India and its fight against the COVID-19 outbreak on 24 April 2021. Dr. Singh expressed gratitude to the Mahasangha and the people of the two villages for these prayers. Dr. Singh also prayed at the Devagiri Raja Maha Vihara at Bingiriya, and paid his respects to the Mahasangha on the same day.
Dr. Singh visited the neighbouring villages of Kadigamuwe and Panawawe upon the invitation of the local clergy on 25 April 2021. In addition to paying homage to Mahasangha in these two villages, he prayed at the local temples and Pirivena. On Bak Full Moon Poya day on 26 April 2021, Director SVCC participated in ‘Dhatu Wandana’ at the Sacred Buddha relics in Sri Sudarshanaramaya Temple, Kadurawewa.
The Mahasangha and the people of the villages appreciated the Dhamma Yatra organized by the High Commission of India and requested for more similar, close interactions between people and clergy of Sri Lanka and India.
It may be recalled that addressing the Dharma Chakra Day celebrations in New Delhi in 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that lasting solutions to the extra-ordinary challenges being fought by the world could come only from the ideals of The Buddha. The Prime Minister had stressed these ideals were relevant in the past, are relevant in the present, and will remain so in the future too.