Monks plant ‘Bodhi’ sapling at Dhauligiri

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BHUBANESWAR: Bodhi, a symbolic sapling of Buddhism, was planted by Buddhists who have come all the way from Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka at Dhauligiri here Wednesday.
Raghunath Mohapatra, MP (Rajya Sabha), Srinivas Nayak Mahathera from Sri Lanka graced the occasion. Apart from them, monks from various Buddhist shrines of Odisha were also present.
Srinivas said, “Buddhism believes in peace and brotherhood. Through the planting of this sapling, we hope to usher in an era of peace and prosperity.”
Earlier, Buddhists from Sri Lanka had arrived in the Capital with Bodhi saplings Monday. The saplings are scheduled to be planted at Buddhist sites in the state like Ratnagiri, Lalitgiri and Dhaulagiri from January 22 to 23.
The Bodhi sapling was brought by Srinivas Nayak Mahathera of Anuradhapura, Srilanka, the centre of Theravada Buddhism for many centuries. Mahathera is an honorific term in Pali for senior Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis (Buddhist monks and nuns) in the Buddhist monastic order.
For the plantation drive, 50 Buddhists from ten countries will visit Buddhist sites of the state to spread ideals on peace and brotherhood. The event was organised by Buddhist Heritage Promotion Trust of India in association with Odisha International Center in memory of Kargil War.
Paresh Nayak, Convenor, Buddhist Heritage Promotion Trust of India, said, “India is the only neighbour of Sri Lanka. The two countries are separated only by Palk Strait. Both nations occupy a strategic position in South Asia and have sought to build a common security umbrella in the Indian Ocean. Historically and culturally, the two nations have been considerably close, with 70% of Sri Lankans continuing to follow Theravada Buddhism to this day.”