New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, Oct 20, inauguarted the International Airport at Kushinagar taking the township to world tourism map in more ways than one.
It may be recalled that on 24th June, 2020, Kushinagar Airport was declared as an International airport by the Union Cabinet.
On the invitation extended by Prime Minister Modi during the Virtual Bilateral Summit with Sri Lanka in September 2020 and as mentioned in the Joint Statement, ‘Mitratva Magga’ released after the meeting, the inaugural international flight arrived from Sri Lanka to mark the occasion.
A delegation, led by Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister Namal Rajapaksa, son of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, currently serving as the Minister of Youth & Sports, Minister of Development Co-ordination and Monitoring and State Minister of Digital Technology and Enterprise Development, comprising around 100 senior Buddhist monks, four State Ministers and other senior officials arrived at the sacred city of Kushinagar from Colombo on the auspicious Vap Poya Day on October 20, 2021.
The State Ministers include Mr. DV Chanaka, the State Minister of Aviation and Export Zones Development; Mr. Jeewan Thondaman, State Minister of Estate Housing & Community Infrastructure and son of late Minister Arumugam Thondaman; Mr. Sisira Jayakody, State Minister of Indigenous Medicine Promotion, Rural and Ayurvedic Hospitals Development and Community Health; and Mr. Vijitha Berugoda, State Minister of Dhamma Schools, Pirivenas and Bhikkhu Education.
Sources told this journalist that the senior monks belonging to different sects and prominent temples, represent more than 22 districts of Sri Lanka.
The senior most monk in the delegation is Most Venerable Wedaruwe Upali Anu Nayaka Thero.
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 Indian Emperor Ashoka, during the reign of king Devanampiya Tissa in Sri Lanka.
The Buddhism is also central to the civilizational connect between the peoples of the two nations.
Underscoring these bonds, PM Modi announced a USD 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 attracted devotees from several countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, Burma to Kushinagar and they used to 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.
It needs emphasis that abiding people linkages between the two nations are manifested in the scale of tourists flowing from India too.
In fact, almost two-thirds of incoming arrivals in Sri Lanka last month were from India, sources said.
The flight to Kushinagar on the Vap Poya Day therefore, is a milestone event in India-Sri Lanka partnership in more than one way.
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 Narendra 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 others countries is an important component of our Buddhist ties.
It may be recalled that the venerated Kapilvastu 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.
Diplomats from 12 countries attended the inauguration ceremony at the Kushinagar Airport.
They were from Buddhists majority nations or countries with substantial Buddhists population such as Mongolia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Lao PDR, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Republic of Korea, Nepal, Japan and Singapore.
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