President at State Vesak Festival today

Priyanka KURUGALA

All arrangements have been made to hold the State Vesak Festival on a grand scale today at 3.30 pm at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi premises Anuradhapura under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Around 2,000 members of the Maha Sangha from three Chapters will participate in the State Vesak Festival to be held at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Sannipatha Hall, Coordinator to President Rajapaksa on Religious Affairs Ven Getamanne Gunananda Thera said.

Members of the Maha Sangha, Governors and District Secretaries from all parts of the country will participate. President Rajapaksa will declare the Sambuddhathva Jayanthi Year from the forthcoming Vesak Full Moon Poya Day to Vesak Full Moon Poya Day in 2012. The President will open the 2,600th Sambuddhathva Jayanthi monument which has been built at the centre of the Anuradhapura town to mark this great, sacred national and Buddhist event.

A road named Sambuddhathva Jayanthi Mawatha will also be opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to mark Sambuddhathva Jayanthi.

The Sambuddhathva Jayanthi official song will be launched on the occasion. Four commemoration stamps will also be issued to mark the occasion. Two commemorative coins in the Rs 1000 and Rs 10 denominations respectively to mark the Sambuddhathva Jayanthi were released under the auspices of President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Temple Trees yesterday.