Sri Lankan envoy Milinda Moragoda gifted to India two paintings depicting the arrival of Emperor Ashoka’s son and daughter in the country, officials in New Delhi said on Saturday.
The paintings, replicas of the original paintings at a temple located close to the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, will be housed at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), they said.
Union Minister of State for Culture and External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi received the paintings at the NGMA, a senior official said.
Sri Lankan High Commissioner Milinda Moragoda accompanied a group of senior monks from the country, led by Most Venerable Waskaduwe Mahindawansa Mahanayake Thero, to hand over the two paintings depicting the arrival of Ashoka’s son Mahendra and his daughter Sangamitra in Sri Lanka, she said.
The NGMA, located in Jaipur House near India Gate, comes under the purview of the Union Ministry of Culture.
The handover ceremony took place on the sidelines of the two-day Global Buddhist Summit that ended on Friday. The Sri Lankan delegation to the Global Buddhist Summit was present, along with Mahabodhi Society representatives.
The minister later hosted them over lunch and a ‘Theravada meal’ was served to the delegates at her office, the officials said.
Lekhi mentioned the close historical, cultural and traditional relationship between Sri Lanka and India, especially in the context of Buddhism.
While highlighting the ancient linkage between the two countries, Lekhi emphasised that this relationship should be “further strengthened by future generations over centuries”.
She described the pictures in detail, explaining how the king in Sri Lanka received Ashoka’s son and daughter. Lekhi thanked the Sri Lankan delegation and the high commissioner for their contribution to the NGMA. Some of the monks gifted books on Buddhism to Lekhi, said the officials.
The delegation was “elated” over the minister’s decision to do “something more concrete” on the Buddhist network between Sri Lanka and India in the coming months and years, the official said.
Lekhi also tweeted about the paintings being gifted and also shared some pictures.
“Happy to unveil the beautiful murals painted by Solias Mendis and presented by @SLinIndia on the sidelines of the Global Buddhist Summit,” she tweeted.
“The murals showcase historical events marking the advent of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and reflect the strong civilisational bonds between our two countries,” she added.
“The paintings as part of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Sri Lanka depict the arrival of King Ashoka’s son, Mahendra, and his daughter, Sangamitra, to Sri Lanka,” she added in her tweet.
Ashoka, also referred to as Ashoka the Great was an emperor of the Mauryan Empire whose capital was located in ancient Pataliputra (current day Patna). He had sent his son Mahendra and daughter Sangamitra to Sri Lanka to spread Buddhism.
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