PM, Sri Lankan President visit Buddhist temple housing 2,300-year-old Bodhi tree

India Today

PM Narendra Modi was honoured with Sri Lanka's highest civilian award, the Mitra Vibhushana, on Saturday during his three-day visit to the island nation.

Transcript

00:00My colleague Geeta Mohan is joining me live on the broadcast from Colombo, Sri Lanka.

00:04Geeta, PM Modi is in Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka, where he will shortly be inaugurating the

00:09upgraded railway line and the railway signalling system, as we know.

00:13But beyond symbolism and infrastructure, what long-term impact do you think this visit could

00:18have on the people-to-people ties and the regional diplomacy?

00:21Massive impact.

00:23Massive impact.

00:24The fact that the agreements and the statements made by Prime Minister Modi show commitment

00:30to development of Sri Lanka.

00:32There are homes that are going to be built.

00:34We are looking at 10,000 homes being completed for the Tamil community.

00:38The Tamil leaders met him yesterday.

00:41There are other projects that are also going to be announced.

00:43They have their own proposals, and we'll be talking about that in just a while from now,

00:47when the Tamil leaders join us.

00:49But the fact is that there is a lot of concrete work that is being done.

00:53And when you invest in a country, in the development and infrastructure of a country, then you're

00:59here for the long haul.

01:01If you look around Sri Lanka, and you see many of the projects, also particularly in

01:06the north and the eastern provinces, they have been done by India.

01:11So the long-term impact or benefits that people over here and the government of India

01:19would reap is not just recent.

01:21This has been going on for decades.

01:23Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government also was dedicated and committed to the very

01:29same cause of ensuring that the Tamils and the people of Sri Lanka have a better life

01:34and that India can provide for.

01:36And it is continuing, even in practice, the Modi regime.

01:40We see more...

01:58Geeta, there seems to be an issue with your audio connection there.

02:00But Prime Minister Modi, we are getting visuals of Prime Minister Modi at the Jai Sri Mahabodhi,

02:04which is one of the most sacred and historically significant religious sites in Sri Lanka and

02:09across the Buddhist world.

02:11That's Prime Minister Modi there at the Jai Sri Mahabodhi, which is in fact a sapling

02:16from the original Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, under which Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment.

02:21That is why the area is so significant.

02:24Now, the tree is a living symbol of the deep cultural and spiritual ties between India

02:29and Sri Lanka, rooted in their shared Buddhist heritage.

02:32And Prime Minister Modi's visit here to this site reflects not just religious reverence,

02:37but also it reinforces centuries-old civilizational links between the two nations.

02:42Now, Jai Sri Mahabodhi is considered the oldest living human-planted tree in the world

02:47with a known planting date and its continuous care for over 2,300 years

02:51shows the reverence Sri Lankans have for Buddhism and their historical continuity.

02:56So, that's Prime Minister Modi there, along with Sri Lankan President D'Sanayake

03:00at the Jai Sri Mahabodhi, which is one of the most sacred and historically significant

03:04religious sites in Sri Lanka and across the Buddhist world.

03:12Now, what the site is, is that it draws thousands of pilgrims and tourists every year,

03:16both from Sri Lanka and abroad, especially from Buddhist majority.

03:19And Prime Minister Modi's visit there has shed a further light on the significance of the area,

03:24which is also home to the tree that is a living symbol of the deep cultural

03:28and spiritual ties between the two countries, between India and Sri Lanka,

03:32rooted in their shared Buddhist heritage.

03:35Now, Sri Mahabodhi is considered the oldest living human-planted tree in the world

03:39with a known planting date. The tree is located in Anuradhapura,

03:42which is also one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

03:47It was brought to Sri Lanka, the tree itself was brought to Sri Lanka in 288 BCE

03:52by the Sangha Mitra Teri, the daughter of Indian Emperor Ashoka,

03:55during his mission to spread Buddhism.

04:03I'm going to go back to my colleague, Geeta Mohan, who is in Colombo

04:06and she is tracking the latest with what is going on with Prime Minister Modi's visit.

04:11Geeta, we just are looking at visuals of Prime Minister Modi at the Jai Sri Mahabodhi.

04:17He is seeking blessings from the seers there.

04:19What can you tell us about how this visit is significant

04:22and what this bodes for India-Sri Lanka ties?

04:25And also, I'm going to come back to my colleague Geeta Mohan,

04:28how this visit is significant and what this bodes for India-Sri Lanka ties?

04:31And also, when it comes to the cultural ties that are there between the two countries?

04:35Well, to begin with, the first foreign leader to pay a visit to Sri Lanka

04:40after President Sarnathji took over, in itself shows the importance

04:44this government is attaching to the Indian administration to India.

04:48India has, in the recent past, come and stood by Sri Lanka

04:53in a very, very difficult time, during a very difficult phase

04:56of the Sri Lankan political and economic life.

05:00The people over here, and things are turning, even if you speak to people.

05:05A lot of them in the past had questions regarding India,

05:09India's influence in Sri Lanka, opposition parties influencing people over here.

05:15But now you see a huge positive turn, which was quite natural

05:19because Sri Lankans are akin to liking India a lot.

05:22But now you see that positive turn to quite an extent

05:25because India is the reason why Sri Lanka today is sort of,

05:30or has sort of been pulled out of the economic distress

05:34that not just the government was facing, every citizen in Sri Lanka was facing.

05:40And the fact that agreements between India and Sri Lanka

05:44focus not just on strategic, which is defence, capability, connectivity,

05:49but also for Sri Lanka, looking very much within Sri Lanka,

05:54the debt restructuring that India is going to be a part of,

05:58repayment of loans, rescuing Sri Lanka when it comes to these economic difficulties

06:04where they become major defaulters in the repayment of loans,

06:09and also development and infrastructure projects,

06:13which is very, very close to how a common Sri Lankan is going to live

06:19and how it helps better their lives.

06:23There are housing projects and also the railway project

06:27that is going to be inaugurated in just a while from now in Anuradhapura.

06:31Prime Minister Narendra Modi is doing the religious circuit,

06:35the Buddhist connect between India and Sri Lanka.

06:38This is a very important one.

06:40Like you very rightly said, Emperor Ashoka's daughter,

06:44his both children actually, in fact, went to Anuradhapura

06:48with a sampling from Bodh Gaya and planted that very same seed

06:53with the origins of which lie from the main Bodh Gaya tree

06:59where Gautam Buddha attained nirvana.

07:03And now he's going to meditate over there, showing the connection,

07:08and from there, he's then going to go to Rameshwaram in India.

07:15He has already announced the energy carbon-free property,

07:20housing projects for Tamils of Sri Lanka,

07:24and now Rameshwaram.

07:26And how pure is the proximity of Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka

07:33and how India is always, always at the center of the world in terms of Sri Lanka

07:41has been and will continue to be the Tamils of Sri Lanka.

07:45So a lot of projects have been done just for the Tamils of Sri Lanka.

07:51Even we see the tower of Rameshwaram happen.

07:55It has to exist in the Tamils' heart as beacons in Sri Lanka.

08:00That's a major push by India.

08:04Right. So Prime Minister Modi is at the Jai Sri Mahabodhi,

08:08which is one of the most sacred and historically significant religious sites in Sri Lanka

08:13and across the Buddhist world.

08:15Those are visuals of Prime Minister Modi there along with the Sri Lankan president, the Sanayake.

08:20Now Jai Sri Mahabodhi is essentially a sapling from the original Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India,

08:26under which Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment.

08:28And it was brought to Sri Lanka, as Geeta also just pointed out, in 288 BCE by Sangha Mitra Teri,

08:34who was the daughter of the Indian emperor Ashoka during his mission to spread Buddhism.

08:39I'm going to go back to my colleague Geeta Mohan, who continues to be with us on the story.

08:44Geeta, Prime Minister Modi visiting Jai Sri Mahabodhi,

08:48essentially it not just reflects his religious reverence,

08:52but also the deeper ties, the cultural ties between India and Sri Lanka.

08:56What can you tell us about that?

09:00Well, we have been discussing the fact that India and Sri Lanka share not just proximity,

09:06but geographically they're close.

09:08The two countries have been close historically, culturally, religiously.

09:13A part of Sri Lanka and some also here have not been in Sri Lanka out of choice.

09:22But generations and generations down, they are Sri Lankans of Tamil origin,

09:28and they should be accorded the same kind of rights that any citizen of Sri Lanka has.

09:35Tamils over here can be divided into two.

09:38One are those who are from or generations down have been a part of Sri Lanka.

09:46And other, those who have been on the other side so much,

09:51have not moved Sri Lanka towards this, not as far.

09:58And that's the connection between Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, right?

10:06But culturally...

10:10Right, there seems to be an issue with Geeta's connection there.

10:13But Prime Minister Modi is at the Jai Shri Mahabodhi,

10:16which is a sapling from the original Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya in India,

10:20under which Gautam Buddha had attained enlightenment,

10:23which is why the area is so significant.

10:25The tree is a living symbol of the deep cultural and spiritual ties

10:29between India and Sri Lanka, rooted in their shared Buddhist heritage.

10:32Now, Prime Minister Modi's visit to the site, it reflects his religious revelance,

10:36but also reinforces the deep ties that India and Sri Lanka have had,

10:41old civilizational ties, links between the two nations.

10:43The Jai Shri Mahabodhi is considered the oldest living human-planted tree in the world,

10:47with a known planting date, which is why the region is so significant.

10:51Its continuous care for over 2,300 years shows the reverence Sri Lankans have

10:56for Buddhism and their historical continuity.

10:58The tree is located in Anuradhapura, which is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka

11:04and a UNESCO World Heritage Site,

11:06and it draws thousands of pilgrims and tourists every year,

11:09both from Sri Lanka and abroad, especially from Buddhist-majority nations.

11:18So, Prime Minister Modi is at the Jai Shri Mahabodhi,

11:20which is one of the most sacred and historically significant religious sites in Sri Lanka

11:25and across the Buddhist world.

11:26It is a sapling. Jai Shri Mahabodhi is essentially a sapling from the original Bodhi tree

11:31in Bodh Gaya in India, under which Gautam Buddha had attained enlightenment.

11:36The tree is a living symbol of the deep cultural and spiritual ties

11:39between India and Sri Lanka, rooted in their shared Buddhist heritage.

11:42I'm going to go back to my colleague Geeta Mohan, who continues to be with us on the broadcast.

11:46Geeta, what has the Sri Lankan public's perception been like

11:51to Prime Minister Modi's visit to these places of religious significance,

11:54not just to Sri Lankans, but also to India?

11:59Well, most of them very positive.

12:01We've only spoken to a few because it was a bad day for us the moment we arrived over here.

12:08But I will be speaking to quite a few of them today.

12:12Most of the Sri Lankans we spoke to are quite upbeat and positive about this visit,

12:17or have been, because of the role that India played in a very critical moment in their lives,

12:23which touched them personally.

12:25Not being able to get the food supplies, shortage of fuel,

12:30all that slowly impacted life as they knew it tremendously,

12:37since the bankruptcy was declared and the absolute economic fall of Sri Lanka.

12:44And since then, they have seen the role India has played,

12:47how life came back to at least some semblance of normalcy because of India.

12:52And that certainly reflects in how they view the Prime Minister's visit,

12:57how they view India, and the realization and acknowledgement that

13:01no matter which country you engage with a bit, India is always going to stand by you.

13:06For India, it is a very strategic discipline.

13:10It is not just about going and helping a neighbor, which India does anyway,

13:14but it's also the fact that strategically Sri Lanka is very important for us.

13:19Not so long ago, there were Chinese submarines docking here in the ports of Sri Lanka.

13:26And that's certainly something which will continue.

13:29Do not expect Sri Lanka to give up on China completely.

13:34This and I have been engaging very strongly, part of the BRI project as well.

13:39So that certainly is not going to go away.

13:42And remember, there is one concept that India today promotes largely,

13:48and that has to do with strategic autonomy.

13:51But while India says that it is not going to side with one country or the other,

13:55it's going to look at its own interests.

13:57Sri Lanka is looking at her own interests when it comes to strategic autonomy,

14:02giving it the space to engage with Beijing,

14:05but also allowing the importance that it attaches to New Delhi.

14:09With the first visits that we've seen,

14:11Opps and I came to New Delhi and of Modi to Colombo.

14:15Thanks Gita for bringing in that perspective on that story.

14:18Prime Minister Modi is visiting Anuradhapura currently

14:20and he will be inaugurating certain projects.

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