On 8 October 2017, H.E. Mr. Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Ambassador of Thailand to the Republic of India, presided over the ceremony on the Offering Ceremony of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun’s Kathin Robe to the congregation of monks at Maha Bodhi Society Temple in Bangalore. Also present at the ceremony were Mrs. Krongkanit Rakcharoen, Consul-General to Chennai, members of the Thai private sector and Thai residents in India as well as Indian Buddhists in Bangalore.  

          Since 1995, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been graciously granted royal permission to present Royal Kathin Robes to Buddhist temples in Thailand’s neighboring countries in Southeast Asia and other Asian countries. As for India, the Royal Kathin Ceremony, which started in 2004, has been organized every consecutive year since 2008. This year was the first time that the Royal Kathin Ceremony was held in Bangalore, which is regarded as “the Silicon Valley of India”. The Maha Bodhi Society Temple in Bangalore is a Theravada Buddhist temple under the supervision of the Maha Bodhi Society and houses, at present, 115 monks and novices. The temple has undertaken a number of developmental and humanitarian projects such as providing scholarships for underprivileged novices, establishing Buddhist Dharma School, Mahabodhi Monastic Institute, Maha Bodhi Burns and Casualty Center and Maha Bodhi Karuna Hospital. 

          The Royal Kathin Ceremony was held successfully and contributed to the strengthening of cordial ties between Thailand and India, especially at the people-to-people level through the shared faith in Theravada Buddhism. At the end of the Ceremony, donation was offered to the Temple, which derived from contributions from His Majesty the King, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as Thai and Indian Buddhists amounting to THB 323,300.-