The depositing of the Sacred Relics of the Buddha and other precious objects at the Relics Chamber of the historical Deegavapi Stupa will be held under the patronage of President Ranil Wickremesinghe this morning, July 14.
This will be carried out under the auspices of Defence Secretary, General (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne with the participation of the Chief Incumbent of the Deegavapi Rajamaha Vihara Ven. Mahaoya Sobitha Thera and the Maha Sangha of the Three Chapters. After the restoration work, the Deegavapi Stupa will be the third tallest in the country, second only to the Ruwanweli Maha Seya and the Sandahiru Seya. Apart from the sacred relics, a beautiful Buddha statue made with two kilograms of gold donated by Na Uyana Aranya Senasanadhipathi Thera, a gold casket made with 107 gold sovereigns and embedded with over 150 gemstones and a container of gems donated by gem businessmen will be deposited at the relics chamber. The Army contributed the labour for the restoration work and the Civil Defence Forces also extended its contribution. A pilgrim’s rest consisting of 20 rooms and four large halls will also be built with labour contribution of the Navy.
