Exposition of Jade Buddha statue

Priyanka Kurugala

The Presidential Secretariat jointly with the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress (ACBC) has made arrangements to bring the Jade Buddha statue to the country for exposition.

The statue made of the Jade gemstone will be exhibited at the BMICH from August 10 to 19.

The Buddha statue will be exhibited under the theme Jade Buddha for Universal Peace. The religious ceremony will be held under the patronage of Maha Sanga in three chapters.

This is a lifetime opportunity for Buddhists.

The Jade Buddha statue was created expecting universal peace. It is is 2.5 metres (8 feet ) high and is on an alabaster throne. It weighs around 4.5 tons and is valued at $ 5 million. It is valued at Rs 650 million.

This Shanthi Buddha statue is scheduled for religious observances by President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees from August 7 to 8 as the first such observance.

According to the great expectation of Cheyenne Sun Hill in California the Jade gemstone was created, it was revealed at a press conference at the Information Department in Colombo, yesterday.

Addressing the press conference Presidential Coordinating Secretary Religious Affairs Ven Getamanne Gunananda Thera said, the Shanthi Buddha statue was created at the Mahabodhi Temple Bodygaya in India.

It was created by two sculptors in Australia and Thailand and exhibited in countries such as Vietnam, Australia, USA, Canada, Germany, England, Singapore, Taiwan, China and Thailand, the thera said.

After exhibiting all over the world the Shanthi Buddha statue will be placed in the Grate Stupa Institute Australia.

The inaugural ceremony on August 10 will be held on a grand scale at the BMICH where thousands of lamps will be lit.

The second day observances at the BMICH will be held under the Education Ministry’s sponsorship to invoke blessings on Grade five students sitting the scholarships examination.