New Delhi [India[, April 22 : Two photographs of Sri Lankan origin were unveiled at the office of the State Minister of External Affairs and Culture in Delhi on Saturday to mark the 75th anniversary of Indo-Lanka diplomatic relations.
Two photographs of Sri Lankan origin were exhibited in the office of the State Minister of External Affairs and Culture of India at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi today to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations between India and Sri Lanka, which falls this year, the High Commission of Sri Lanka in India said in an official statement.
Notably, the photographs, which were installed at the office of the State Minister of External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi, feature two murals painted by the eminent Sri Lankan painter Solias Mendis in the Kelya Rajamaha Vihara.
The first mural depicts Arahat Mahinda, delivering the message of the Buddha to King Devanampiyatissa upon arriving in Sri Lanka. The second mural depicts the arrival to Sri Lanka of Theri Sanghamitta, bearing the right-hand branch sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi tree, stated the release.
These two historical occurrences, which took place in the third century BCE, symbolised the strong and unbreakable ties between Sri Lanka and India in terms of culture and signified the beginning of Buddhist civilization in Sri Lanka, the release stated.
Meenakshi Lekhi, State Minister of External Affairs and Culture and Milinda Moragoda, the high commissioner of Sri Lanka to India, ceremonially unveiled the images in front of the revered Sri Lankan members of the Maha Sangha, including the most Venerable Waskaduwe Mahindawansa Maha Nayaka Thero, who was in New Delhi for the Global Buddhist Summit.
Director General of the Department of Archaeology of Sri Lanka Professor Anura Manatunga, Director General of the International Buddhist Confederation Abhijit Halder and senior officials of the High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi were also present during the occasion.
The same murals were previously shown in two images by the Sri Lankan High Commission in New Delhi, which were intended for installation at the recently opened Kushinagar international airport, the High Commission of Sri Lanka in India said.
Moreover, similar photographs were installed at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Headquarters in Nagpur in February 2022, and at the Ahmedabad International Airport in July 2022.
As part of an ongoing programme to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Indo-Lanka diplomatic relations, action has also been initiated to install similar photographs at other locations in India, including at the international airports in Buddha Gaya and Varanasi shortly, enhancing Sri Lanka's cultural footprint at the level of the States of the Union of India, the official release said.
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