72nd “Sanchi Maha Bodhi Festival” to be celebrated on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, in Vidisha, India

The 72nd Sanchi Mahabodhi Festival will be held two days from November 30 to December 1 at the Sanchi Chethiyagiri Temple Complex, in Vidisha, India.

In the 5th century BC, Emperor Ashoka built the Sanchi Stupa complex to house the relics of the Lord Buddha and the chief disciple of Sariputta and Moggallana in memory of his wife Vidisa Devi. The Sanchi Chethiyagiri Temple Complex had been under the forest for centuries and was rediscovered in 1918, and was first excavated in 1851 by Alexander Cunningham and General Macy.

Under the leadership of Ven. Banagala Upatissa Thera, who has been appointed as the President of the Sri Lanka Mahabodhi Society and the Chief Incumbent of the Sanchi Chethiyagiri Temple, the Sanchi sacred site has undergone tremendous development in the last thirty years.

Ven Upatissa Thera said that the “Sanchi Maha Bodhi Festival”, which was initiated in 1952 at the request of the then Indian Prime Minister, Sir Jawaharlal Nehru, will be held for the 72nd time on November 30 and December 1 at the sacred site of Sanchi, under the leadership of the Madhya Pradesh Government of India and the Sri Lanka Mahabodhi Society.

The cultural concert to be held in conjunction with the Sanchi Mahabodhi Mahotsava will feature Japanese singer Miiki, Sri Lankan media professionals, who represent the Asian Media and Cultural Association (AMCA), and other cultural groups. Besides, Sri Lankan journalists and a large number of Buddhist devotees from Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Myanmar are also scheduled to participate in the Sanchi Mahabodhi Mahotsava this year, said Chethiyagiri Viharadhikari Ven. Banagala Wimalatissa Thera.

Chethiyagiri Viharavasi Ven. Udugama Thapassi Thera said that nearly 10 million Buddhist devotees from several states in India including Orissa, Andhra, Telangana, Ladakh, Uttar, Assam, Kerala, Himachal, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra are expected to participate in the Mahabodhi Mahotsava this year also.

The relics of Ven. Sariputta and Moggallana, the first disciple of the Lord Buddha, which are enshrined in the underground chamber of Chethigiri Vihara, will be taken out on November 30 and placed in the shrine for the public to pay homage to. Then, on the afternoon of December 1, the relics will be replaced back in the underground chamber of the temple, Ven. Banagala Upatissa Thera said.

Chief Incumbent of the Maliyadeva International Buddhist Centre in Wattegama, Kandy Ven. Bodhichitta Thera of Vietnam, Minister of Rural Development of the Central Government of India Sri Prahlad Singh Patel, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Madhya Pradesh Dr. Prabhuram Chaudhary, Collector and District Magistrate of the Raisin District Aravind Kumar Dubey, Dr. Supachai Verapunchong of Thailand and a few other distinguished guests will participate in this year’s event as chief guests.

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