Vesak day celebrations in Bangkok began with the Ambassador attending the early morning Buddhist Chanting and Candlelight Circumambulation Ceremony (Pradakshina) organized for this occasion by the Ministry of Culture of the Royal Thai Government at Wat Pho, which is one of the main Royal Temples located in Bangkok. The event was presided over by General Tanasak Patimapagorn, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand. On completion of the ceremony, the diplomatic corps in attendance were escorted on a temple tour to visit the famous Reclining Buddha, iconic to the Thai people and visitors to Thailand.
In the afternoon, the Embassy, with the participation of the Sri Lankan community in Thailand organized an ice cream ‘Dhansela’ at Wat Intharavihan in Bangkok, considering the hot weather season. This temple is site to the Bo tree from a sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi tree enshrined in the 1980s by H.M. Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, the King of Thailand, when he was Crown Prince. The Dhansela was organized in the spirit of the teachings of the Buddha - “Danan Sabbatta Sadhkan” (Dhana creates all bliss, in this world, heaven and Nirvana) and also with the objective of sensitizing the Thai people of this practice. The concept of a dhansela is not widely known in Thailand. Ice cream was served to over 1000 visitors to the temple on Vesak Day.
The culmination of Vesak Day celebrations was marked by a Gilanpasa pooja held at the Ubosathagara of Wat Intharavihan. The religious activities were headed by the Chief Prelate of the temple. The Sri Lankan community in Thailand contributed to the preparation of gilanpasa with ‘pirikara’.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Bangkok
19.05.2017
