High Commission of Sri Lanka in India

uring the call, the High Commissioner expressed his appreciation to Minister Sitharaman for the support and guidance she provided during his tenure. The High Commissioner once again thanked the Minister for her personal intervention in providing Sri Lanka with close to four billion dollars to stabilize the economy during last year’s financial crisis. 

As a token of appreciation and goodwill, High Commissioner Moragoda presented to Minister Sitharaman two volumes of the publication Urumayaka Arumaya by the Department of Archaeology of Sri Lanka featuring murals of the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, which also include several murals that depict the gift of Buddhism to Sri Lanka from India, and a stone obtained from the stream flowing besides the Seetha Amman Temple in Seetha Eliya (Ashoka Vatika) in Sri Lanka.

27 September 2023

As the latest of a series of activities to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between India and Sri Lanka which falls this year, the High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi has initiated a book project on Ramayana sites in collaboration with the internationally renowned publisher Dorling Kindersley Publishing Private Limited (DK) India.

The proposed book, with the working title “In the Footsteps of Rama; A Cultural Journey through India and Sri Lanka”, will feature the Ramayana sites both in India and Sri Lanka giving reference to the historical, archeological and mythological aspects of these sites.

DK, a publisher of high-quality illustrated reference books plans to bring out the final production of the book by July next year. 

The agreement pertaining to the publication was signed yesterday (25) at the High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi. DK India’s Managing Director Aparna Sharma, Head Finance & Operations Alka Kumar, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda, Deputy High Commissioner Niluka Kadurugamuwa, Minister of the High Commission Upul Pushpakumara and Minister Counsellor Gamini Sarath Godakanda were present at the signing. 

Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda said that the Satara Sampada or the four accomplishments preached by the Buddha could form a firm basis for a culture of democracy. He made these remarks while speaking at a panel discussion

Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda who was on a three-day official visit to the State of Bihar to attend the 'Vaishali Democracy Festival' met with the Chief Minister of Bihar Shri Nitish Kumar on Saturday (16) at the latter's official residence in State Capital Patna. 

Chief Minister Shri Nitish Kumar extended a warm welcome to the Sri Lankan High Commissioner and his delegation. The ensuing discussion was held in a very cordial manner. 

The Chief Minister and the High Commissioner reviewed the strong civilizational links between the State of Bihar and Sri Lanka, particularly those that are based on Buddhism. High Commissioner Moragoda recalled how a large number of Sri Lankan pilgrims visit the holy Buddhist sites in the State of Bihar, including the most sacred of places of worship, Bodhgaya, and requested the Chief Minister to provide every possible assistance to these Sri Lankan Buddhist pilgrims visiting his State. In response, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar stated how close he keeps Buddhism to his heart and conveyed his special interest in Sri Lanka.  

The ways and means to further develop existing ties between the State of Bihar and Sri Lanka were discussed during the meeting. 

Following the meeting, the Chief Minister took the High Commissioner to see the Bodhi tree planted in the garden of his official residence, the sapling of which was brought from the sacred Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya. 

As a symbol of the close civilizational connection between Bihar and Sri Lanka, High Commissioner Moragoda presented to the Chief Minister, a large reproduction of a Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara mural, which depicts Emperor Asoka ceremonially marking the right-hand branch sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, before sending it to Sri Lanka with his daughter Theri Sanghamitta to be planted in Anuradhapura. 

At the request of the Chief Minister, High Commissioner Moragoda also visited the Buddha Smriti Park in Patna, where a sapling from the Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura has been planted. 

High Commissioner Moragoda invited the Chief Minister of Bihar to visit Sri Lanka at a mutually convenient date, which the latter accepted with pleasure.