Overview

• Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha on July 22 inaugurated a replica of Emperor Ashoka’s Vaishali Pillar and opened an exhibition of Kapilavastu Buddha relics at Waskaduwa Sri Subhuthi Viharaya.
• The pillar was fully funded by Tibetan spiritual leader Kyabje Ling Rinpoche, with its foundation stone laid in January 2024 by Santosh Jha and Shartse Khensur Jangchup Choeden Rinpoche.
• Waskaduwa Sri Subhuthi Viharaya, which preserves relics of Buddha disciples Sariputra and Maudgalyayana, highlights links tracing back to Ashoka’s 3rd-century-BCE mission to Sri Lanka.
• The inauguration builds on India’s 2020 commitment of $15 million to provide solar electrification for nearly 10,000 Buddhist temples and Pirivenas across Sri Lanka.
• India’s recognition of Pali as a classical language last year has strengthened Buddhist scholarship in Sri Lanka alongside ongoing heritage repatriation and exhibition efforts.