Sanchi Pilgrims Rest to Open by Sri Lankan Prime Minister

The Sanchi Pilgrims Rest (Sanchi Vandana Niketana) which was built at a cost of Rs. 84 million will be ceremonially declared open by Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake tomorrow (October 31).

The Pilgrims Rest which is to donate as a gift to India from Sri Lanka was constructed under the guidance of the Urban Development and Sacred area Development Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

Under the guidance of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Minister Gunawardena commemorated the 2550th anniversary of the Buddha Jayanti by laying the foundation stone for the Rest which comprised with an image chamber, a sermon hall, rooms for pilgrims, sitting room and bathrooms, a kitchen sanitary facilities and open halls. Three-storeyed structure runs in an area of 1,200 square meters.

Madhya Pradesh Governor Shri Rameshwar Thakur, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Shivaraj Singh Chauhan, Madhya Pradesh Culture and Public Relations Minister Shri Laxmikant Sharma will also participate at the opening ceremony.

The Sanchi sacred area, established by the Emperor Asoka in Awanti, one of the ‘Sixteen Janapadas’ (settlements) of ancient India, was then known as Caityagiri.

It is located close to Bhopal in modern Madhya Pradesh, India. It is also recorded that, prior to bringing Buddhism to Sri Lanka, the Arhant Mahinda (the son of Ashoka), visited Sanchi where he uplifted his mother to the anagami (non-returner) stage of enlightenment, Urban Development and Sacred area Development Ministry said in a press release.

- Asian Tribune -