The enshrinement ceremony of the Bo Sapling of the Sacred Sri Maha Bodhi tree gifted to Thailand by Sri Lanka under the auspices of President Maithripala Sirisena was presided by General Prayut Chan-o-Cha, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, on 19th February 2019 at Wat Vajirathammaram Temple in Ayutthaya Province.
Minister of Buddhasasana and Wayamba Development, Gamini Jayawickrama Perera was designated President Sirisena as his Special Envoy to attend the enshrinement ceremony. Minister Jayawickrama Perera was accompanied also by a monk delegation led by Atamasthanadhipathi, Most Venerable Dr. Pallegama Siriniwasa Thero. Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana, Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office as well as the Minister in charge of the National Office of Buddhism in Thailand together with Thai monks received the Sri Lanka delegation with sacred Bo Sapling on arrival. Following the religious ceremony at the Swarnabumi International Airport, the sacred Bo Sapling was moved to Ayutthaya Province for the enshrinement, which was carried to the temple precinct in a procession on elephant back together with a cultural pageant.
At a highly prestigious ceremony befitting the sanctity of the Bo Sapling attended by a large presence of Buddhist monks of both countries, political dignitaries, members of the Sri Lankan community, and Thai public, the sacred Bo Sapling was enshrined at Wat Vajirathammaram Temple in Ayutthaya. r Kshenuka Senewiratne, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Thailand and Chulamanee Chartsuwan, Ambassador of Thailand to Sri Lanka were present at the ceremony.
Thai Prime Minister General Chan-o-Cha observed that this gift of the sacred Bo Sapling is a kind gesture of Sri Lanka to the Royal Thai Government and the enshrinement ceremony is truly meaningful and greatly auspicious for Buddhist devotees and people of Thailand. The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to the President and Government of Sri Lanka terming the country as a close friend of Thailand. He pointed out that it is an honour to receive as a gift a Sapling from the ancient Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura, being the oldest remaining offshoot of the original Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India, under which the Buddha attained enlightenment. The Thai Prime Minister acknowledged that this Bo Sapling would mark another important milestone signifying the long-lasting relationship as well as reinforcing the age-old religious and cultural bonds between the two countries and their peoples.
Prime Minister Chan-o-Cha noted that his official visit to Sri Lanka last year marked a new phase in the bilateral relations with commitment to take necessary steps to further enhance the existing cooperation to a higher level, by translating the endorsed outcomes for concrete action. Referring to 64 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, having consolidated cooperation in multi-dimensional aspects including in political, economic and social spheres. The Thai Prime Minister also highlighted that the remarkable religious ties having served as a unique foundation to build upon fruitful cooperation in various areas of mutual interest, and played a vital role in enhancing people to people contacts in the two countries.
Minister Jayawickrama Perera as the Special Envoy of the President of Sri Lanka, conveyed deep regret for President Sirisena’s inability to participate at the enshrinement ceremony. In his remarks, the Minister further explained that during the colonial period, when the foundation of Sri Lanka’s Buddhist monkhood eroded, it was the King of then Siam with his capital in Ayutthaya, that sought to re-establish the higher ordination tradition, by sending monks from his kingdom led by Upali Thero, which culminated in the establishment of the Siam Nikaya of Sri Lanka. It is therefore befitting, he said, that this Sacred Bo Sapling is being enshrined in a temple in Ayutthaya. The Minister of Buddhasasana thanked Prime Minister Chan-o-Cha for his personal presence at the ceremony, which he outlined was a demonstration of his extreme reverence to the Bo Sapling and the depth of the friendship between Sri Lanka and Thailand. In conclusion, Minister Jayawickrama Perera also took the opportunity to wish His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, the Prime Minister and the people of Thailand the supreme blessings of the Noble Triple Gem.
As the Chairman of the Committee on the preparation for the handover of the sapling of the sacred Sri Maha Bodhi tree, Minister Suwaphan delivering his remarks explained that this gifting resulted from the visit of President Sirisena to Thailand in 2016, dedicated to pay his last respect to His Majesty Late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. During the visit, the President of Sri Lanka had proposed such a gifting to offer merit to His Majesty Late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and bestow blessings to His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun in his reign for peace and prosperity and the people of Thailand. Recalling the strong relationship over centuries, Minister Suwaphan said that the exchange of renowned monk delegations between the two countries in ancient times is reflected in the establishment of Lankawong Nikaya in Thailand and Siam Nikaya in Sri Lanka.
The visiting Minister also called on the Thai Minister of Culture Vira Rojpojchanarat today. The two Ministers warmly recalled their meeting in Colombo late last year, which gave way to a monk delegation attending the chanting ceremony in Thailand on the advent of the new year. They exchanged views on tourism between the two countries based on Buddhism and Sri Lanka’s proposal to apply to UNESCO for inscribing the ‘Thripitaka’ in the Memory of the World Register.
