New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the new international airport at Kushinagar on the auspicious Vap Poya Day, with the first flight from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to the Uttar Pradesh town where Lord Buddha was believed to have breathed his last.
After the inauguration, Modi tweeted: “The airport in Kushinagar fulfills a long-standing dream of the people of this great land, which is closely associated with Lord Buddha. Congratulations to the people of Kushinagar and surrounding areas.”
The inaugural flight from Colombo to Kushinagar included a Sri Lankan team led by Namal Rajapaksa, a minister and the son of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. The group comprises around 100 senior Buddhist monks from various sects and notable temples representing 22 districts of Sri Lanka.
In a series of tweets, Namal Rajapaksa stated: “The greatest gift Sri Lanka received from India is Buddhism! We have always shared a close relationship between our nations and our people! It is the vision of HE President @GotabayaR and HE PM@narendramodi to strengthen this bond between our nations and our people.”
He also tweeted later: “Handed over the first copy of the English, Sinhala and Tamil translations of the Bhagwad Gita to HE PM @narendramodi today. The translation of the sacred text was commissioned by HE @PresRajapaksa as a symbol of our people-to-people friendship and our cultural similarities.”
Given that The Buddha reached Mahaparinirvana in Kushinagar, the place holds a special significance for Buddhists and is regarded as a focal point of India’s Buddhist Circuit. The new international airport is expected to significantly improve people-to-people relations between India and Sri Lanka.
During their trip to India, the Sri Lankan group will also visit Varanasi. The delegation will be honored with special prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. They would also have a Ganga Darshan before returning to Colombo on Thursday.
(Venkatesh Iyer)