On 1 November 2017, H.E. Mrs. Busaya Mathelin, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, presided over the Royal Kathin Ceremony, graciously granted by His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, to the congregation of Buddhist monks at Dipadutthamarama Purana Thai Raja Maha Viharaya in Colombo, Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Nearly 100 persons attended the ceremony including H.E. the Ambassador of Thailand to Sri Lanka, H.E. the Ambassador of Italy, a representative from the Embassy of France, members of the Team Thailand and Friends of Thailand in Sri Lanka as well as Thai and local Buddhists residing in Sri Lanka.

 

Dipadutthamarama Purana Thai Raja Maha Viharaya is the oldest temple in Colombo, and has played an important role in the history of Thai – Sri Lankan  relations as Phra Chinaworawong (His Highness Prince Prisdang) was once an abbot there during 1905 - 1910 and was appointed Colombo Sanghanayaka of the Amarapura Nikaya (Sect) and Mon Nikaya (Sect).  In 1950, Their Majesties the Late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit paid a visit to Dipadutthamarama Purana Thai Raja Maha Viharaya and, as a memento, planted a sandalwood tree there.  Evidence shows that the religious ties between the two nations went back over 700 years ago when Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka visited the Sukhothai Kingdom under the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng the Great.  Ever since, there have been exchanges of religious visits, of which one of the lasting legacies was the founding of a Lanka Wongse Buddhist sect in Thailand and a Siam Nikaya (or Siam Wongse) Buddhist sect in Sri Lanka.

 

During the visit to Sri Lanka, the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs also met with H.E. Mr. Prasad Kariyawasam, Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, to discuss ways and means to further deepen the bilateral relations between Thailand and Sri Lanka.