The Prime Minister, welcoming the Buddhist pilgrim group said he decided to meet them as this is the largest Buddhist pilgrim group to visit Sri Lanka in recent years. “Buddhism is the strongest bond which binds India and Sri Lanka together and we are eternally grateful to Indian Emperor Ashoka and his son, Arahat Mahinda for giving us the greatest gift of the teaching of The Buddha,” he said.

Actor Gagan Malik said he is fully committed to propagate Buddhism and work for promoting Sri Lanka in India and the world. He added that he brought this large group of pilgrims to Sri Lanka for that reason. “There is vast potential for Buddhist pilgrim tours as there are millions of Buddhists in India,” he said.

One of the pilgrims, Anita Pramod from Maharashtra said she was extremely happy that she could fulfill her desire to worship sacred Buddha relic at Daladamaligawa. “We have visited the temple in the beautiful hill capital of Kandy and it was a memorable experience,” she said. “I brought my two small children also a hey are so happy to see this beautiful country”.

In Anuradhapura, we have seen majestic Chaithiyas and worshiped the sacred Srimahabodhi,” said Shashikant Wankhade from Indore, Madhya Pradesh. He added that he would urge his friends and relatives also to visit these places.

MP Yadamini Gunawardena and Producer of Sri Siddhartha Gautama, Navin Gunaratne were present on this occasion.