Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visits Mahabodhi Temple in Bihar, offers prayers

Gaya, Bihar: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Tuesday visited Bodh Gaya in Bihar's Gaya district and prayed at the Mahabodhi Temple, a UNESCO world heritage site.

After arriving at Gaya International Airport, Dissanayake went straight to the 1,500-year-old Mahabodhi Temple, one of the four holy sites related to the life of the Lord Buddha, and particularly to the attainment of Enlightenment.

The Sri Lankan president was received by Bihar ministers Prem Kumar and Santosh Kumar Suman and senior officials of the district administration at the airport.

Dissanayake, accompanied by Gaya District Magistrate Thiyagarajan SM, Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) secretary Mahashweta Maharathi and others, offered prayers at the temple.

He also offered prayers and flowers under the sacred Bodhi Tree, a supposed direct descendant of the original Bodhi Tree under which Buddha spent his First Week and had his enlightenment.

Talking to reporters, the BTMC secretary said,"The President offered prayers in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and visited the sacred Bodhi tree."

He also visited several other places associated with Lord Buddha in the temple complex.

Elaborate security arrangements was made for the Sri Lankan President's visit, a district official said.