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Sanchi Maha Bodhi festival joins India’s national festival calendar

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The Sanchi Maha Bodhi Festival has been added to the National Festival Calendar issued by the Government of India by naming the various religious and cultural festivals held in India as National Festivals from this year.

Accordingly, the Sanchi Mahabodhi Festival, based on the annual exhibition of the relics of Saryut Mughals, which has been held for 72 years, is considered a national festival in India from this year.It was held recently (Nov. 30 – Dec. 01) with the participation of a large number of Buddhist devotees from India, Sri Lanka and other foreign countries.

The two-day event was centered around the Sanchi Chetiyagiri temple built in the Sanchi Stupa complex. The Chetiyagiri temple had been built by emperor Asoka. Mr. Prahalad Singh Patel, Minister of Rural Development and Panchayat Sabha, along with Mr. Kiran Rijiju, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs of India, attended the Sanchi Maha Bodhi Festival with the special greetings of the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi.

The Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi, in his congratulatory message to Ven. Banagala Upatissa Thero on the occasion of the Sanchi Maha Bodhi Festival said, “The Sanchi Maha Bodhi Festival showcases our civilizational roots and rich traditions held annually to allow Buddhist devotees and pilgrims from all over the world to worship the relics of two great disciples of the Buddha, Sariputta Maharahat and Mahamogallana Maharahat.The Mahabodhi Society’s efforts to preserve and popularize the Dharma buddha and playing an important role in bringing our culture and values to the youth.Also The eternal teachings of the Buddha connect many nations and societies with others. A strong example of this is the Sanchi festival, which brings together people of different races”

I congratulate the Mahabodhi Association for the success of the Sanchi Mahabodhi Festival. I am sure that such events will strengthen our cultural heritage and inspire future generations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi further stated in the message.

Buddhists led by Dr. Supachai Verapuchong from Thailand, Vietnamese devotees including Bodhi Chitta Theraniya from Vietnam, Japanese Buddhist monks and nuns, Buddhist monks and devotees from Sri Lanka joined this event.After centuries of forest cover and ruins, it was discovered in 1918 by Alexander Cunningham and General Macy in 1851 First time at Sanchi shrine.

Excavations were made and then in 1912, Sir General John Marshall restored the ruins and restored the sanctum sanctorum to its present venerable state after the excavations, the relics of the great Mughals, who had been taken to England, built the Sanchi Chetiyagiri temple and worked with irresistible courage to bury it there.Most Venerable Banagala Upatissa Thero, President of Sanchi Chethiyagiri Vihara, President of Sri Lanka Mahabodhi Society, said that Hadigalle Pannathissa Thero.

As the chief guests of this year’s event, Venerable Vihara of Sanchi Chetiyagiri Vihara, Kandy Wattegama Maliadeva International Buddhist Center Director of Vietnam Bodhichitta Theran, Central Government of India Panchayat Sabha and Rural Development Minister Prahalad Singh Patel (Sri Prahalad Singh Patel).Dr. Supachal Verapunchong, one of Thailand’s foremost Buddhist leaders, Member of Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha (State Legislative Assembly) Dr. Prabhuram Chaudhary Raisan District Collector Aravind Kumar Dubey – Collector & District Magistrate – Raisan District) participated.

Cultural groups including famous Japanese singer MyU, Sri Lanka’s Thushara Hettiarachi, and Buddhist artists representing various parts of India joined the cultural concert held in conjunction with the Sanchi Mahabodhi Mahotsa.Also, nearly 100,000 Buddhist devotees from Orissa, Andhra, Telangana, Ladakh, Uttar and Uttarakhand, Assam, Kerala, Himachal, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and other states participated in the Mahabodhi festival on these two days, Chetigiri vihara resident Udugama Tapassi Thero said.

The relics of Saryut Mughal Agrasravaka, which were kept in the fragrance chamber of the crypt of Chetiagiri Vihara, were brought to the upper floor from that chamber on the 30th of November (30), and after being placed in the temple building, the people were given the opportunity to pay obeisance.Presbyter Banagala Upatissa said that the request of the late Prime Minister of India, Sir Jazablalala Nehru, was fulfilled 72 years ago.A special alms giving was held at the Maha Bodhi Vandana Niketan premises for the Indian monks coming to this event, and a large number of dansals were organized for the pilgrims

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Laws against shooting of wild jumbos, to be tightened

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A meeting was held today (July 15) at the Ministry of Environment with officials from the Department of Wildlife Conservation, aimed at tightening laws against the shooting of wild elephants.

The discussion was chaired by the Minister of Environment – Dr. Dammika Patabendi, along with the Deputy Minister of Environment – Anton Jayakody.

Noting that incidents of elephant shoots are regularly reported to the Department of Wildlife Conservation, the Minister instructed the Director General of the Department to take the necessary steps to strictly enforce the law against such acts.

The discussion also focused on strengthening the process of punishing offenders by updating laws related to the killing of wild animals. It also emphasized enforcing strict laws against the illegal construction of electric fences on private lands, which often harm elephants.

To help reduce human-elephant conflict, the Ministry and the Department are working together on long-term, positive solutions. Accordingly, elephant fences are being built in districts with frequent elephant encounters.

Furthermore, multi-purpose officers have been recruited for the maintenance of these fences and the involvement of civil defense personnel is also being considered.

The Department of Wildlife Conservation announced that a special media briefing will be held in the coming days to inform the public on these initiatives.

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Move to ban sale of unpackaged coconut oil

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Chairman of the Coconut Development Authority, Shantha Ranawaka, announced recently that a cabinet paper has been submitted seeking to ban the sale of unpackaged (loose) coconut oil in the local market.

Ranawaka explained that various types of oils are being sold under the label of coconut oil, some of which may be adulterated or harmful, with concerns that their consumption could contribute to non-communicable diseases.

To ensure public safety, the Authority proposes that all coconut oil sold in the market must be properly packaged and clearly labeled with essential information such as the manufacturer’s details.

He noted that a grace period will be given for suppliers and vendors to adapt to the new regulation, after which enforcement will begin. The initiative aims to prevent the sale of counterfeit or substandard oil under the guise of coconut oil.

(dailynews.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by dailynews.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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MoU to establish lab with international accreditation facilities

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A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed this morning (July 15) at the Presidential Secretariat between STEMedical of the USA and the Sri Lanka Institute of Biotechnology (SLIBTEC) to establish a laboratory with internationally recognised accreditation.

The MoU for this $15 million investment project, conducted under the guidance of the National Initiative for Research and Development Commercialisation (NIRDC), was signed by Professor Hans Keirstead, founder of the American company STEMedical and on behalf of the Sri Lanka Institute of Biotechnology (SLIBTEC), by its Chairman, Professor Samitha Hettige and Chief Operating Officer, Amali Ranasinghe.

For a long time, there has been a need to enhance the capacity of laboratories with internationally recognised accreditation for testing purposes across many sectors in Sri Lanka, including health, agriculture, cosmetics and Ayurveda, as well as in the import and export fields.

Professor Gomika Udugamasooriya, Senior Presidential Advisor on Science and Technology, who attended the event, said that today is a special day for Sri Lanka and that accreditation is very important for a country. Prof. Udugamasooriya emphasised the significance of a laboratory project with such accreditation facilities in achieving the government’s objective of doubling the country’s export revenue by the year 2030.

This laboratory is expected to function as a main lab, working in conjunction with existing laboratories across the island, to ensure the quality of goods and services in various fields.

Professor Hans Keirstead, founder of STEMedical, stated that he is pleased with the current leadership in Sri Lanka, which he said has a broad vision for the scientific sector and has been able to identify developmental needs such as enhancing laboratory capacity. He also said that this project would bring many benefits to the country, not only clinically but also economically. Mr Keirstead further mentioned that it would attract the attention of economic experts and generate revenue by bringing items, such as medicines, from other countries to Sri Lanka for accreditation.

Professor Hans Keirstead, the founder of STEMedical in the United States, is an internationally recognised stem cell expert. He is also a respected entrepreneur in the field of regenerative medicine in the USA. It is also noteworthy that Professor Hans Keirstead, who currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Human Immunome Project, is among the top 100 scientists in the world, as listed by Discover Magazine.

The President’s Senior Additional Secretary, Russel Aponsu; the Director-General of the National Initiative for Research and Development Commercialisation (NIRDC), Dr Muditha Senarath Yapa; and the Chief Executive Officer of STEMedical in the United States, Dr Nistor Gabriel Loan, also attended the event.

(President’s Media Division)

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