President pays homage to Sacred Devnimori Relics of Lord Buddha

• Public can venerate Sacred Devnimori Relics at Hunupitiya Gangaramaya Temple till 11 Feb. 

Marking the commencement of the public veneration of the Sacred Devnimori Relics of Lord Buddha, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake made the first floral offering yesterday at the Hunupitiya Gangaramaya Temple.

The arrival of the Sacred Relics in Sri Lanka followed discussions held between President Dissanayake and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latter’s visit to Sri Lanka last year. As a result of these discussions, and through the personal intervention of Prime Minister Modi with the full patronage of the Government of India, arrangements were made to bring the Sacred Devnimori Relics to Sri Lanka for public veneration.

Until now, the Sacred Devnimori Relics had been kept under high security at the Baroda Museum in India and had never been taken outside the country. This marks the first occasion on which the Relics have been brought overseas, granting the people of Sri Lanka a rare opportunity to behold and pay homage to them.

Earlier yesterday, the Sacred Relics were brought to Sri Lanka via the Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake. Following religious observances conducted upon placing the Relics on a special platform, they were conveyed in a special motorcade to the Hunupitiya Gangaramaya Temple. Amidst blessings from the Maha Sangha, the Relics were then placed on a specially prepared platform and opened for public veneration, with the President making the first floral offering.

Accordingly, the public will be able to venerate the Sacred Devnimori Relics in person at the historic Hunupitiya Gangaramaya Temple from today (5) till 11 February, for a continuous period of seven days. Facilities have been arranged to allow devotees to pay homage 24 hours a day.

To mark this significant occasion, which further strengthens Indo-Sri Lanka relations, President Dissanayake presented a special commemorative token to Gujarat State Governor Acharya Devvrat. Hunupitiya Gangaramaya Temple Chief Incumbent Venerable Dr. Kirinde Assaji Nayaka Thera in turn presented the President with a special memento bearing a replica of the Sima Malaka of the temple.

In addition, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) relating to the public veneration of the historic Sacred Devnimori Relics in Sri Lanka was exchanged between Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Minister Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi and Acting Indian High Commissioner Dr. Satyanjal Pandey.

The Sacred Relics were discovered during archaeological excavations conducted in the 1960s at the historic Devnimori archaeological site in the Aravalli District of Gujarat, the home region of Prime Minister Modi. The excavations were carried out around a stupa within a Buddhist monastic complex, where two relic caskets were unearthed. 

The Sacred Relics of Lord Buddha were found within one of these caskets. An inscription discovered inside the reliquary, which reads, “the place where the relics of the Buddha endowed with the 10 powers are enshrined,” is considered the strongest evidence affirming the authenticity and sanctity of the Relics.

The event was attended by members of the Maha Sangha representing the three Nikayas, led by Most Ven. Dimbulkumbure Wimaladhamma Anunayaka Thera of the Malwathu Chapter of the Siam Maha Nikaya, International Buddhist Confederation Secretary General Ven. Shartse Khensur Rinpoche Jangchup Choeden Thera, and members of the Maha Sangha from India.