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The Sri Lankan navy took part in a Buddhist ceremony in Nainativu this week, where the Commander of the Navy laid the foundation stone for a new statue of the Buddha to be built.
The navy participated in the ceremony held at the Nagadeepa Purana Rajamaha Viharaya, a Buddhist temple situated in the Jaffna peninsula islet, with the military stating the “Northern Naval Command of the Sri Lanka Navy extended all the supportive measures to make the event a successful one”.
Following an all-night chanting ceremony, the Chief Incumbent of the temple “invoked blessings on the Sri Lanka Navy for their meritorious act and for all the assistances provided,” stated the Ministry of Defence.
In the presence of several other senior military officials and Buddhist monks, the Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne then planted a Boo tree sapling at the temple and laid the foundation stone for a 32-cubit statue of the Buddha.
The Sri Lanka Navy Ship 'Ranavijaya' “joined the meritorious act while transporting all the sacrificial materials to the location,” said the MoD.
The government recently issued a gazette notification, officially changing the name of the island from the Tamil name Nainathivu to the Sinhala name Nagadeepa.
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