COLOMBO – A ‘Sri Lanka-India Ashirvad Puja’ was held at the sacred Mulagandhakuti Vihara in Saranath on Monday (9) for the health and well-being of the people of Sri Lanka, particularly in view of the current situation in the country. Conducted by the Maha Bodhi Society of India, the Puja was attended virtually by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Indian High Commissioner in Colombo, Gopal Baglay.
Various Temples and offices associated with the Society spread across India such as Bodh Gaya, Lumbini, Kolkata land Lucknow also took part in the prayers online.
A statement from the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka said prayers were also offered for the continued strong bilateral partnership between India and Sri Lanka, and a special offering was made to Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam for Mahinda Rajapaksa and the people of Sri Lanka, at an auspicious pre-dawn hour. The statement describes Rajapaksa as a devotee of the Temple and had paid his reverence to the Deity during several of his visits to India.
Recalling that several special prayers and ceremonies were held by people of different faiths across Sri Lanka for their brethren in India during the second COVID-19 wave in that country, the statement noted that prayers for the well-being of each other underscore the deep people-to-people ties and civilizational linkages between the two countries.
It said the special prayers at two of the most revered and sacred locations in India gain particular significance as they also mark the first anniversary of the assumption of office by Prime Minister Rajapaksa in his current term.
-ENCL