New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in Buddha Purnima celebrations on Thursday May 7, and will address the event in honour of frontline warriors of contagious Coronavirus.
Buddha Purnima marks the birth anniversary of Gautam Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. Annually, grand celebrations take place across country to mark the day however, owing to the impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic, no religious gatherings are allowed on streets.
However, the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), a global Buddhist umbrella organization is holding a Virtual Prayer Event with the participation of all the supreme heads of the Buddhist Sanghas from around the world.
According to an official release, the nation will celebrate the event keeping in mind the need to maintain social distancing. Going by the order, a Virtual Visak day is being organised in honour of the victims and workers including medical staff, doctors, and police personnel among others.
The virtual event starts at 6.30 in the morning and goes on till 7.45 in the evening. During the event, PM Modi will address a 10-minute keynote 8.05 AM. Before that, Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel and Minister of State for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju will be participating in the event.
The official notice further states that prayer ceremonies on the occasion will be streamed live from all the prominent locations with a Buddha connection - Lumbini Garden in Nepal, Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya, Mulgandha Kuti Vihara in Sarnath, Parinirvana Stupa in Kushinagar, Pirith chanting from Ruwanweli Maha Seya in the sacred and historic Anuradhapura stupa premises in Sri Lanka and other popular Buddhist sites.