Large crowds including Buddhist devotees, people of other religious denominations and foreign tourists would visit the Buddha Rashmi National Buddhist Festival 2017, Ven. Dr. Kirinde Assaji Thera of the Hunupitiya Gangaramaya said during a special discussion held on the festival.
The festival is jointly organised by the Hunupitiya Gangaramaya Temple and the Prime Minister’s office.
It will include a special Vesak zone covering a large area adjoining the Beira lake in Colombo, the Thera said.
Ven. Assaji Thera said the festival this year will be held for five days from May 10 to 14. The festival is significant because it coincides with the United Nations Vesak Festival held in Sri Lanka with the participation of heads of states and special invitees from a large number of foreign countries.
He said the festival will be held with a strict sense of discipline. Vesak should not be considered as a carnival. The festival is aimed to display the real meaning of Vesak to the people at large, the Thera said.
He said people visiting the festival will have the opportunity to view Vesak lanterns, pandals, Bhakthi geetha recitals, puppetry and noorthi gee recitals.
Children would gain an opportunity to view a large variety of creations. He said the three armed forces, police, Gramarakshaka Brigade and state and private sector institutions were making a great contribution towards the success of the festival.
A large number of media institutions have rallied round to assist the festival and they were thankful the media contribution.
A special word of thanks is due to the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (Lake House) for the support they extend towards the arrangements, he said.
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