Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda, attended the centennial birth anniversary celebrations of His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the former administrative head and spiritual guru of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a prominent Hindu denomination within the Swaminarayan Sampradaya.
His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj who was born in 1921 and passed away in 2016, had been the fifth spiritual Head of the BAPS and was instrumental in growing BAPS into a global Hindu organisation.
The month-long centennial birth anniversary celebrations known as Pramukh Swami Maharaj Shatabdi Mahotsav were held at Ahmedabad’s Pramukh Swami Nagar, a 600-acre venue with temporary structures, specially constructed for the centennial celebrations.
During the month-long celebrations, which concluded on January 14, nearly 300,000 to 400,000 devotees per day visited the venue of the celebrations where 80,000 volunteers had been mobilized by the BAPS.
The High Commissioner visited the Pramukh Swami Nagar, which marked the Asia-Pacific Day of the celebrations. Diplomatic representatives from several other countries of the Asia-Pacific region also attended the event.
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| High Commissioner Moragoda handed over the congratulatory message issued by President Ranil Wickremesinghe on the occasion to the present spiritual Head His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj. |
At a meeting attended by more than three thousand devotees, a large number of religious leaders representing various denominations of Hinduism as well as Jainism and other dignitaries including diplomats, High Commissioner Moragoda read out the congratulatory message issued by President Ranil Wickremesinghe on the occasion of the centennial birth anniversary of His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
Messages from the President of Israel and the Prime Minister of Australia were also presented on this occasion.
High Commissioner Moragoda also had an audience with His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, the present spiritual Head of the BAPS and received his blessings.
The High Commissioner handed over the original of the congratulatory message of the President to His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj. The BAPS, which engages in a host of humanitarian and charitable endeavours, has more than 1,200 temples worldwide that facilitate the practice of Swaminarayana doctrine.
The BAPS had carried out humanitarian relief operations in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
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