India gifts a Lord Buddha statue to Bhutan’s people
New Delhi: The Indian Embassy in Thimpu and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) arranged two events in collaboration with the Royal Government of Bhutan and the Privy Council of Bhutan on the occasion of Guru Rinpoche’s birth anniversary over the weekend.
According to the Indian High Commission in Thimpu, Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Member of Parliament and President of the ICCR, along with Ruchira Kamboj, Indian Ambassador to Bhutan, and Dinesh Patnaik, Director General of the ICCR, held a virtual ceremony to gift a statue of Lord Buddha on Sunday to Dr. Tandi Dorji, Foreign Minister of Bhutan.
His Eminence Tshugla Lopen Karma Rangdrol and His Eminence Laytshog Lopen Sangay Dorji, as well as monks from the Zhung Dratshang, began the ceremony with somber prayers and blessings.
The Jaling and Phoepho procession, and the consecration and enshrining ritual of Lord Buddha’s statue took place at the magnificent Grand Kuenrey of the Tashichhodzong, one of the exquisite and elaborate halls used for prayers and major events.
About 300 monks chanted prayers and presided over the rituals in the presence of dignitaries and venerated Lopens of the Zhung Dratshang.
The smiling statue, a single-cast unit unique in terms of posture and facial expression, is a 3.3-foot-tall bronze statue of Lord Buddha in a lotus stance, weighing roughly 200 kgs. It was designed by renowned sculptor Naresh Kumar Kumawat, who has received numerous honors.
(Venkatesh Iyer)
