Kushinagar, Oct 20 : Diplomats and senior Buddhist representatives from 12 countries, including a delegation from Sri Lanka, comprising 100 Buddhist monks, and headed by Namal Rajapaksa, Minister of Youth and Sports, attended the inauguration of Kushinagar International Airport today, during which Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the opening of the airport is a tribute to the devotion of Buddhist society around the world.

Diplomats and representatives from countries where Buddhism is practiced, including Mongolia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Lao PDR, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Republic of Korea, Nepal, Japan and Singapore attended the inauguration ceremony.

Earlier, an inaugural flight from Colombo arrived with an entourage of Buddhist monks including a 12-member delegation carrying the holy relic of Lord Buddha.

The inaugural flight brought the Sacred Kapilavastu relics of Waskaduwa for an exposition.

The city of Kushinagar is the final resting place of Lord Buddha, where he attained Mahaparinirvana after his death. It is among the most important pilgrim spots for Buddhists.

The delegation from Sri Lanka was led by Minister Namal Rajapaksa, and also comprised of four State Ministers and one MP. Around 100 senior Buddhist monks, belonging to different sects and prominent temples, spread across 22 districts of Sri Lanka were part of the delegation as well as senior officials from Sri Lanka.

The senior most monk in the delegation is Most Venerable Wedaruwe Upali Anu Nayaka Thero.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted; “Heralding the Abhidhamma Day together with friends!

“PM @narendramodi participated in an event marking Abhidhamma Day at Mahaparinirvana Temple in Kushinagar.

“Also present were monks and representatives of several countries where Buddhism is practiced.”

Abhidhamma Day is celebrated to mark Lord Buddha’s return to the earth after preaching the Abhidhamma Pitaka, an important scripture. The day is celebrated with a lot of fervor among Buddhists.

He also tweeted on Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla welcoming the Sri Lankan delegation.

“A Holy Beginning! Foreign Secretary @harshvshringla greeted Sri Lankan delegation led by Cabinet Minister @RajapaksaNamal with over 100 Buddhist Monks & dignitaries, carrying the Holy Buddha Relics for exposition, to mark the event.”

Ahead of the inauguration, Sri Lankan Minister Namal Rajapaksa in a tweet described it as “yet another historic milestone for Indo-Lanka relations”.

Speaking at the inauguration, PM Modi said “There is a special focus on the development of the places associated with Lord Buddha through better connectivity, and the creation of facilities for the devotees.”

He said that India is the centre of the faith of Buddhist society around the world. He termed the facility of Kushinagar International Airport, launched today, as a tribute to their devotion.

This region, the Prime Minister said, is witness to the entire journey from the enlightenment of Lord Buddha to his Mahaparinirvana, or the Buddha’s passing away. “Today this important region is getting directly connected to the world,” he said.

He also highlighted the special focus on the development of the places associated with Lord Buddha through better connectivity and the creation of facilities for the devotees.

Earlier, the Prime Minister welcomed the Sri Lankan flight and delegation that landed at Kushinagar.

Kushinagar Airport was declared as an International airport by the Union Cabinet in June last year.

Buddhism is considered to be an important bridge that connects the people of India and Sri Lanka. The advent of Buddhism in Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BC is linked with the arrival of Prince Mahendra (also known as Arahant Mahinda Thera) and later of Princess Sanghamitra (Arahant Sanghamitta Theri), the children of the Emperor Ashoka, during the reign of king Devanampiya Tissa in Sri Lanka.

Buddhism is also central to the civilizational connect between the peoples of the two nations. Underscoring these bonds, PM Modi announced a US$15 million for the promotion of bilateral Buddhist ties during the Virtual Summit with PM Mahinda Rajapaksa in September last year.

Kushinagar enjoys a pre-eminent position on the global map due to its rich heritage. The Buddha breathed his last and attained Mahaparirvana in this holy city.

Other sites of Buddhist significance such as Sravasti, Kapilvastu and Lumbini are also not located very far off. All these factors attract devotees from several countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, Burma to Kushinagar and they would offer daily prayers at the Mahaparinirvana Temple before Covid-19. Therefore, there has been a long-standing demand for an international airport in Kushinagar.

The inaugural international flight from Sri Lanka would pave way for increased traffic and greater number of visitors to Kushinagar particularly from Buddhist countries, including Sri Lanka. The scale of tourists flowing from India to Sri Lanka has also been growing, with almost two-thirds of incoming arrivals in Sri Lanka last month being from India.

The flight to Kushinagar on the Vap Poya Day – the full moon day of Vap, the seventh month in the Sinhalese calendar, which usually falls in October and is a public holiday — is a milestone event in India-Sri Lanka partnership. Bonds between the people would grow from strength to strength with such initiatives.

The only documented authentic relics of The Buddha in Sri Lanka, the sacred Piprahwa relics, discovered in the late 19th century in India which are kept at the Waskaduwa Viharaya in Kalutara (Sri Lanka) have also been brought by the Sri Lankan delegation.

Prime Minister Modi made a special mention about this temple in his virtual address delivered at the Buddha Purnima in May 2020.

Exposition of The Buddha’s relics in each other’s countries is an important component of our Buddhist ties. It may be recalled that the venerated Kapilavastu relics in India, which have been taken out of India only 6 times in the past, were sent to Sri Lanka in 1978 and in 2012.(UNI)