Indians and Sri Lankans pay homage to the “Arahant Relics” at the Sanchi Buddhist Monastery, Republic of India for the first time in a year. This year, Bodhgaya Institute 980 joined the event at the invitation of the President of the Sanchi Buddhist Monastery. This is the first milestone of The 4th Dhammayatra to Buddhabhoomi : Mekong- Ganga Declaration on Dhamma Centur, Republic of India.
The procession offering rice pudding was beautifully arranged to move to the Sanchi Buddhist Monastery on the occasion of the 1st anniversary of the invitation of the relics of Sariputta and Moggallana, the chief disciples on the right and left, from the safe room for the people of India and Sri Lanka to pay homage for only 1 day like every year. This year, Dr. Supachai Veraphuchong, Secretary-General of Bodhigaya Vijjalaya 980 Institute, joined the event at the invitation of Phra Upatissa Thero, the president of Sanchi Buddhist Monastery and the current president of the Bodhi Society of Sri Lanka. The Minister of Madhya Pradesh and Secretary-General of Bodhigaya Vijjalaya 980 Institute paid homage to the “relics of the Arahant” which became the first destination ofThe 4th Dhammayatra to Buddhabhoomi : Mekong- Ganga Declaration on Dhamma Century, the Republic of India, with the goal of uniting all religions into one for peace and world peace.
Dr. Supachai presented the 4th Dhammayatra Project symbol pin to “Phra Upatissa Thero” to “proclaim the century of Dhamma” as a history of working together in the 21st century that will use the principles of the Lord Buddha as a guideline for practice and create a bond between the Mekong River Basin and the Great Ganga River, as if bringing “Dhamma” from the “Suvarnabhumi Land” back to the “Buddhabhom Land”.
“Venerable Upatissa Thero” welcomed The 4th Dhamma group to Sanchi, saying that the 21st century is the “Dhamma Century” and the Mahabodhi Society of Sri Lanka is proud to work with Bodhigaya Vijjalaya 980 Institute to make the dream of the Dhamma Century a reality.
As the Minister of Rural Development and Labour of Madhya Pradesh welcomed and supported the 4th Dharmayatra to Declaration on Dhamma Century and assured that all religions can coexist peacefully.
Tejar Chudasama, a devoted Hindu from Gujarat, said she was very impressed to be a part of this sacred ceremony. She believes that Buddhism can unite people of all religions with its simple and practical teachings.
The first milestone of the “Declaration on Dhamma Century” begins at the Sanchi Buddhist Temple, the holy land where the relics of the two great disciples are enshrined. The next route is a Dhammayatra to Patna-Bodh Gaya-New Delhi and Gujarat from December 2-10, 2024. The important ceremony will take place on December 5, 2024, which is the Declaration on Dhamma Century, which comes from the Asian Century Vision with Dharma principles of the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Narendra Modi, who stated in 2015 that the 21st century is the “Asian century”. But it cannot be the “Asian century” if there is no “Buddhism” as a connecting point for the countries.
The important symbol of the 4th Dhammayatra project, apart from the “Declaration on Dhamma Century”, is the burial of a “Time Capsule” to preserve important historical evidence of Thailand and the Republic of India, stored underground at the Buddhist land of the enlightenment of the Lord Buddha. The “Time Capsule” will be opened in another 234 years because the year 234 B.E. is the year that “King Ashoka the Great” sent a group of 9 religious missionaries to spread Buddhism to various lands. Moreover, the numbers of the year 234 add up to 9, which is the same as “King Rama IX”, the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand.
