The student monk Ven. Koswatte Palitha Thera of Kekirawa area initiated to build a Stupa in his village to celebrate the 75th birthday of Chief Sanghanayake of Japan and the President of the Sri Lanka Maha Bodhi Society, Ven. Banagala Upatissa Thera.
This Stupa, which was built at the Sri Bodhirajendraramaya Viharaya in Kekirawa, Ipalogama, Ganthiriyagama, Anuradhapura to celebrate the 75th birthday of Ven. Banagala Upatissa Thera was unveiled for worship by the Buddhist community with the participation of Ven. Banagala Upatissa Thera on Saturday (4).
This Stupa was built at a cost of over Rs. five million in a very short time of about three months at the request of Ven. Koswatte Palitha Thera and with the coordination of President of the Asian Media and Cultural Association (AMCA) Upul Janaka Jayasinghe with the financial donations of entrepreneur Nuwan Lasantha Medage and Sewwandi Wasana Hettihewa in Dehiwala and with the contributions of residents of the area.
The Relics to be placed in the Stupa were brought to the temple in a procession. The Relics were then placed in the Relic Chamber by Ven. Banagala Upatissa Thera and Ven. Koswatte Palitha Thera.
The unveiling of the pinnacle spire of the Stupa was presided over by Ven. Banagala Upatissa Thera and Anuradhapura District NPP MP Thilina Samarakoon.
Ven. Banagala Upatissa Thera was born on January 5, 1950, in Banagala Village, Morawaka, Southern Province, as Jayasena Liyanage Don Hendrick Upatissa. He was ordained as a monk at the age of 17 by the then President of the Sri Lanka and India Mahabodhi Association, Hadigalle Pangnatissa Nayake Thera, under the name Banagala Upatissa.
Fulfilling the wishes of Anagarika Dharmapala, Ven. Banagala Upatissa Thera built the first Theravada Buddhist temple Lankaji Viharaya in Savara in Japan in 1984. Achieving the second wish of Dharmapala, he has now established India’s first Buddhist University, ‘Sanchi Buddhist University’, in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
He introduced the Japanese system of pre-childhood development education to Sri Lanka and currently runs many Japanese model child development centres countrywide.
Deputy Inspector General of Police of Madhya Pradesh, India, Anuradha Shankar, along with the administrator of the Shunyata Buddhist Meditation Centre in Gujarat Tejal Chudasama participated in the opening ceremony.
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