Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs – Vidura Wickremanayake has called for a systematic probe into the incident where a saffron robe was draped over the revered Aukana Buddha statue.
Photos emerged on social media had led to public outrage.
According to the Department of Archaeology, it is a punishable offence to alter the existing character of a statue of archaeological value.
The Aukana Buddha statue, said to be built during the reign of King Dhathusena, is considered one of the masterpieces among the “Standing Buddha Statues” built during the Anuradhapura era.
