Colombo: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardene has said that the international focus center for Hindu pilgrims in the island country at the Sita Amman temple located in the central hills will be a symbol of closer ties between Sri Lanka and India. I am sure that this meditation center will be a great force for inculcating positive thoughts and moral values for the upliftment of the human mind not only in the Sri Lankan society but also in India and other countries. Gunawardene laid the foundation stone of the center at Sita Amman Temple at Sita Eliya in Nuwara Eliya on Sunday, saying it symbolized the close ties between Sri Lanka and India since ancient times.
Located in the Nuwara Eliya Valley in the central hills of Sri Lanka, the Sita Amman Temple, also known as the Sita Amman Kovil, has become a major destination for Hindu pilgrims from India. The temple is believed to mark the Ashoka Vatika or Ashoka Forest in the epic Ramayana, where Sita was kept in captivity on the island of Lanka. After Sita refused to stay in King Ravana’s palace, she was brought to this grove where she lived under Ashoka trees.
Thanking the Government of India for the support extended to Sri Lanka to fight the unprecedented economic crisis, Gunawardene also expressed his gratitude for India’s support for building the focus. He thanked Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay, the Delhi Rotary Club and its President Pradeep Jain, Sita Amman Temple Committee President V. Radhakrishnan and the philanthropists of India for providing generous assistance for the construction of the proposed meditation centre. It is not just financial assistance, but the idea of helping such a project is highly commendable, he added.
Gunawardene said that Buddhism and Hinduism, the great religions of Asia, co-exist in Sri Lanka to inculcate positive moral values in the society. Followers of these religions live and work together to make our society strong and progressive. A special postage stamp depicting the history of Sita Amman temple was released on Sunday. Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay, Sita Amman Temple Committee President V. Radhakrishnan and Delhi Rotary Club President Pradeep Jain besides foreign and local devotees were present at the ceremony.
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