Bodhi Puja at Buddha Gaya

FROM UPALI Rupasinghe

THE Buddha Gaya Centre of the Maha Bodhi Society of India performed a three-hour Bodhi Puja at mid-night on 31st December under the Sri Maha Bodhi Tree at the Buddha Gaya Maha Viahara complex to invoke blessings of the Buddha, Dhamma and the Sangha on President Mahinda Rajapakse, the Government and the people of Sri Lanka.

Around 200 monks from different countries were invited to conduct the Bodhi Pooja and over 300 hundred Sri Lankans who were on pilgrimage participated in the event.

The Bodhi Puja programme was organised by Ven Palwatte Seeveli Thera, Bhikkhu-in-Charge of the Buddha Gaya Maha Bodhi Centre and from 10.30 p.m, on the 31st to 1.30 am 2006, and three hundred oil lamps were lit and kept around the Vajrasana. On Monday Sangadana were offered to more than 200 monks.

It may be noted that President Mahinda Rajapakse's planned visit to Buddha Gaya on the 30th of December was postponed due to security reasons.