2,600th anniversary of Buddha’s visit to Mahiyangana:

President to participate in Pinkama

Dhanushka GODAKUMBURA and Sunimal SRIYANANDA, Mahiyangana group corr.

A Pinkama to commemorate the 2600th anniversary of Buddha’s visit to Mahiyangana will be held at the Mahiyangana Rajamaha Viharaya on January 8 under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The Buddha visited the Mahiyangana Raja Maha Viharaya sacred precincts on a Duruthu Pasalosvaka Poya day 2,600 years ago. A three day pinkama to mark this historic event begins at the viharaya today. A daham hamuwa which is part of this pinkama will be held at the viharaya tomorrow afternoon presided by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Two dhamma books and two other books depicting the history of the Mahiyangana sacred area will also be launched at this daham hamuwa.

While the day’s programme will also include the distribution of cash and other donations among selected temples in the Ridimaliyadda Divisional Secretariat division,

a sanghika dana to 100 members of the Sangha, Atapirikara pooja to 2,600 members of the Sangha, a ‘Dethis Maha Purusha Lakshana pooja and a Maha mal pooja’ to sprinkle ten million flowers on the “Salapathala Maluwa”.

Three floats carrying bhikkhus from eight districts chanting pirith and a motorcade of 100 vehicles from the Colombo sambuddhaloka viharaya are due to arrive in Mahiyangana today while several development schemes too will be launched at the sacred area today.

These include the unveiling the limits of the Mahiyangana sacred area, laying of foundation stones to a ‘Walakulu Bemma’, the cutting of the first sod to inaugurate construction work on an 84 foot Buddha statue.