Ambassador of Sri Lanka pays homage to Bo Sapling of the Sacred Sri Maha Bodhi tree gifted to Thailand

The Sri Lankan Ambassador to Thailand and the Permanent Representative to UNESCAP E.A.S. Wijayanthi Edirisinghe visited the Wat Vajirathammaram in Ayutthaya recently and attended a ceremonial worship of the sacred Bo Saplin tree of the Sri Maha Bodhi tree of Sri Lanka organized by the Sri Lanka Association of Thailand. The sacred Bo saplin was gifted to Thailand in year 2019 to offer merit to His Majesty Late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and also bestow blessings to His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun in his reign for peace and prosperity and the people of Thailand.

Chief Abbot of Wat Vajirathammaram welcomed the Sri Lanka Ambassador and Ven. Dr. Wilgamuwe Ariyarathana Thero has conducted a bodhi pooja fervently for the sacred Bo Saplin tree. The members of the Association and the President of the Sri Lanka Association of Thailand Sanjeewa Ediriwickramasooriya, Staff of the Embassy and Sri Lankan community attended the ceremony.

After veneration of the Bodhi-tree, sanghika-dana was offered to the Buddhist monks prepared by the Embassy and the Sri Lankan community.

Ambassador also had a discussion with the Chief Abbot of Wat Vajirathammaram and Ven. Dr. Wilgamuwe Ariyarathana Thero on proper maintenance of the Bo saplin and future development plans area around the sacred Bo tree.

Subsequently, Ambassador and staff paid homage to the Wat Dhammaram Temple in Ayutthaya. which was the location where in dhamma-versed monks appointed for a mission to Sri Lanka gathered prior their departure. Historical museum showcased that the Theravada Buddhism was introduced to Thailand from Sri Lanka, to be known as Lankawamsa and during the colonial period, when the foundation of Sri Lanka’s Buddhist monkhood eroded, it was the King of then Siam with his capital in Ayutthaya sought to re-establish the higher ordination tradition, by sending monks from his kingdom led by Upali Thero. This culminated in the establishment of the Siam Nikaya of Sri Lanka.

Ambassador Wijayanthi Edirisinghe emphasized during the discussion with the Chief Abbot that the relationship between Sri Lanka and Thailand and the peoples, built on the deep routes of the shared timeless philosophy and values espoused by the Buddha, has been flourishing throughout for over eight centuries, which continues robustly to this date.

Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka
Bangkok
15.10.2024