By Mewati Sitaram
Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India His Excellency Milinda Moragoda made a three-day official visit to the state of Odisha last week. During his tour, he visited the Mahabodhi Society of India (MBSI) center in Bhubaneswar. Along with the High Commissioner, Minister of the High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi Upul Pushpakumara and Minister Counsellor Gamini Sarath Godakanda were also accompanying him.
Sri Lankan High Commissioner H.E. Melinda Moragoda, Mrs. Jennifer Moragoda and delegates were formally welcomed at the Mahabodhi Center by the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides of MBSI School. This school is managed by Mahabodhi Society of India. After this formal welcome, the High Commissioner paid homage to the temple and the Bodhi tree at the center. Three Sri Lankan Buddhist monks living at the center chanted Seth Pirith and blessed the High Commissioner and his delegation.
After the religious rites, the High Commissioner met the management and teachers of MBSI School. This meeting was presided over by MBSI Bhubaneswar Committee Chairman Narendra Mishra. Namrata Chadha, vice-chairperson of the committee and member of the MBSI Governing Board, also spoke on this occasion.
MBSI School, Bhubaneswar has more than 1800 students, half of whom receive free education and the rest pay a nominal fee. Mahabodhi Society of India is running this school targeting students from economically weaker and deprived sections of the society. The MBSI school is very popular in Bhubaneshwar.
It is noteworthy that the Mahabodhi Society, established in 1891 in Colombo by Bodhisattva Anagarika Dharmapala has served as the representative of the worldwide Buddhist community since its inception. This ongoing work aims to restore sacred Buddhist sites in India and provide a platform for the Buddhist world to express its views. Mahabodhi Society of India is extensively engaged in spiritual services as well as charitable and social welfare activities through its various centers across India.
The Mahabodhi Society is a South Asian Buddhist society currently based in Kolkata, India. It was founded by the Sri Lankan Buddhist leader Anagarika Dharmapala and the British journalist and poet Sir Edwin Arnold and its first office was established in Bodhgaya. The organization’s efforts began to revive Buddhism in India and restore ancient Buddhist temples at Bodhgaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar. The restoration and revival of the glory and sanctity of Bodh Gaya is also the objective of the Mahabodhi Society.
Editor in Chief : Mewati SItaram
