New Delhi: The Jataka Tales, published as an audiobook in the Sinhala language, was launched in Anuradhapura to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India-Sri Lanka diplomatic relations, coinciding with the sacred occasion of Poson Poya, on Tuesday.
The Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC) and the University of Colombo’s Centre for Contemporary Indian Studies (CCIS) collaborated on the audiobook, an official said.
The Poson Poya is an annual Buddhist celebration in Sri Lanka to commemorate the introduction of Buddhism in the third century BC.
The audiobook contains 50 Jataka Tales chosen from Jatakattakatha and aimed to benefit the hearing-impaired people and others.
In a message, High Commissioner of India to Colombo Gopal Baglay emphasized that Buddhist history, including the Jataka Tales, established a significant civilizational tie between India and numerous countries, with Sri Lanka holding a unique position as one of the first countries to receive Buddhism from India over two millennia ago.
(Venkatesh)