PM Modi, Mongolian President jointly Unveils statue of Lord Buddha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of Mongolia H.E. Mr Khaltmaagiin Battulga, jointly unveiled a statue of Lord Buddha and his two disciples, installed at historic Gandan Tegchenling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia’s Capital) via videoconferencing from Delhi.

Key Highlights

Prime Minister had offered prayers at Gandan Tegchenling Monastery during his visit to Mongolia in 2015. Thus while underlining common Buddhist heritage and civilizational links between our two countries and peoples, PM Modi had then announced to gift a Lord Buddha statue to Buddhist monastery.

Mongolian President is on a 5-day state visit to India. This is the 1st State Visit by a Mongolian President in last 10 years. During his stay, the Mongolian President will participate in an India-Mongolia Business Forum in New Delhi, visit Agra and attend an event. He will also be paying a visit to Bodh Gaya (Bihar) before leaving for Karnataka where he will hold meeting with state Governor and attend a programme.

About the Statue unveiled

The Statue symbolizes the shared respect of our two countries for universal message of Lord Buddha. Statue depicts Lord Buddha in a sitting posture along with his two disciples conveying the message of compassion as well as peace and co-existence. The statue was installed and consecrated at Gandan Monastery in Ulaanbaatar in early September 2019 during the 3rd edition of SAMVAAD dialogue held in Ulaanbaatar (from 6-7 September 2019). 3rd edition of SAMVAAD dialogue brought together Buddhist religious leaders, scholars and experts from different countries to deliberate on contemporary issues related to Buddhism.

About Gandan Tegchenling Monastery

It is a prominent centre of Mongolian Buddhists and a treasure house of valuable Buddhist heritage. It hosted 11th General Assembly of Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace (ABCP) (from 21-23 June 2019) to mark the 50th anniversary of Conference. More than 150 guests from 14 countries including India, Nepal, Russia, Sri Lanka, Japan, South Korea, Bangladesh, Bhutan, LPDR, Thailand, North Korea among others  had participated in event.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2019