Nepal seeks to rekindle spiritual and blood ties with Sri Lanka

Nepal is calling on Sri Lanka to rekindle deep-rooted spiritual, cultural and ancestral ties as part of a renewed effort to boost religious tourism and Buddhist diplomacy in South Asia.

- BY IFHAM NIZAM

Speaking at the "Nepal Destination Promotion Program - Lumbini and Beyond" held at the Shangri-La Colombo, Ven. Sri Vajira Thera, Assistant Professor at Lumbini Buddhist University, issued a heartfelt invitation to Sri Lankans to "visit not just a neighbouring country, but their relatives in the birthplace of the Buddha."

"We are not neighbours. We are family. The blood that runs through the veins of Sri Lankans and Nepalis is the same," he said, delivering a stirring keynote address organised by the Embassy of Nepal and the Nepal Tourism Board.

Citing centuries of historical, royal and religious connections, Ven. Vajira Thera described Nepal as the spiritual womb of Sri Lanka's Buddhist identity.

"The Buddha was a Nepali. The Sacred tooth relic enshrined in Kandy originated in Lumbini. Anuradhapura was founded by a Shakyan prince named Anuradha. Even the Paritta chants recited daily across temples in Sri Lanka are rooted in Nepal," he said.