‘Age-Old Spiritual Relationship’: PM Modi Visits Reclining Buddha Temple In Thailand, Heads To Sri Lanka Next

<p>Bangkok, Apr 4 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday visited Bangkok’s Wat Pho temple, famous for its architecture and the massive 46-metre long statue of the Reclining Buddha.</p>
<p>Accompanied by Thailand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Modi paid homage to the Reclining Buddha and offered &lsquo;Sanghadana&rsquo; to senior Buddhists monks at the temple.</p>
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<p dir=”ltr” lang=”hi”>A memorable visit to Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimonmangkalaram Ratchaworamahawihan Or Wat Pho!<a href=”https://twitter.com/ingshin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@ingshin</a> <a href=”https://t.co/Yx0RoQX9A1″>pic.twitter.com/Yx0RoQX9A1</a></p>
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href=”https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1908125754283413828?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>April 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Prime Minister also presented a replica of Ashokan Lion Capital to the shrine of Reclining Buddha and recalled the strong and vibrant civilisational ties that exist between India and Thailand.</p>
<p>&ldquo;An age-old cultural &amp; spiritual relationship! PM @narendramodi along with PM @ingshin visited the Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimonmangkalaram Ratchaworamahawihan- the Wat Pho historic shrine of Reclining Buddha and sought divine blessings,&rdquo; the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a post on X along with photos from the visit.</p>
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<p dir=”ltr” lang=”zxx”><a href=”https://t.co/GVdcgrIJfe”>pic.twitter.com/GVdcgrIJfe</a></p>
&mdash; Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) <a href=”https://twitter.com/MEAIndia/status/1908106139361054902?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>April 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Rajwaramahawihan, popularly known as Wat Pho, has the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand and is the country’s earliest centre for public learning.</p>
<p>Wat Pho was built in the 16th century as a monastery and was restored in 1788 by King Rama-I, who established Bangkok as the capital of Thailand.</p>
<h3><strong>PM Modi leaves Thailand for three-day Sri Lanka visit</strong></h3>
<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday left Thailand for Colombo on a visit focusing on defence ties and deepening cooperation in energy, trade and connectivity with Sri Lanka.</p>
<p>Modi emplaned for Sri Lanka after attending a summit of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) grouping in Bangkok.</p>
<p>The prime minister will be the first foreign leader to be hosted by Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka after he took charge last September.</p>
<p>Modi last travelled to Sri Lanka in 2019. It will be his fourth visit to the island nation since 2015.</p>
<p>The temples that exist today were completed during the reign of King Rama III, who extended much of Wat Pho in 1832, particularly the South Vihara and the West Vihara, where the Reclining Buddha is housed.</p>
<p>The Reclining Buddha was completed in 1848 and remains the largest in Bangkok.&nbsp;</p>
<p><em><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)</span></em></p>