The Sri Lankan government will donate a Buddha statue and dhamma bell for Buddha Vanam, a theme park on Buddhist heritage project taken up by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation at Nagarjunasagar.
This gesture by the Sri Lankan government is to establish cultural contacts between Andhra Pradesh and Sri Lanka that dates back to several decades.
An announcement to this effect was made by Vadivel Krishnamurthy, deputy high commissioner of Sri Lanka who visited the holy relics of Lord Buddha displayed at Dr YSR Andhra Pradesh State Museum here on Monday.
He along with Sri Lankan government second secretary Dilani Weerakoone visited the state museum.
Archaeology and Museums department director P Chenna Reddy, who received the dignitaries, urged them to encourage its tourists to visit the Holy Relic Gallery at the State Museum where a good number of Buddhist sculptural panels were also on display. He presented them with books on Buddhist circuits in Andhra Pradesh, Buddhist Archaeology and excavation reports on Buddhist sites of Phanigiri and Dantapuram.-New Indian Express