ECONOMYNEXT – A flight from Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo carrying politicians and monks will be the first to land at Kushinagar International Airport in India, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narenda Modi.
Kushinagar is the city where Buddhist believe Lord Buddha passed away known as Mahaparinirvana.
The majority of citizens of Sri Lanka, which has an Indianized civilization, are Buddhists.
“Kushinagar is considered to be a focal point of the Buddhist Circuit in India and the new international airport is likely to strengthen people to people interactions between India and Sri Lanka substantially,” the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a statement.
“The inaugural flight not only underscores the deep people to people linkages but also millennia old civilizational ties between the two neighbouring countries. Buddhism is central to the abiding cultural, spiritual and linguistic bonds in this bilateral relationship.”
October 20 is the Vap Full Moon Poya day, which is a public holiday in the Island.
A casket with Kapilavastu Buddha relics from the Rajaguru Sri Subhuthi Maha Vihara of Waskaduwa will also travel on the inaugural flight on Vap Poya Day.
Namal Rajapaksa, Minister of Youth and Sports and son on Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, four state ministers, one legislator and arnd100 senior Buddhist monks, belonging to different sects and prominent temples, spread across Sri Lanka.
