Vesak Memorial Stupa presented to the United Nations

UNITED NATIONS -- A Vesak World Peace Buddhist Stupa was formally handed over to the United Nations at a ceremony held on Friday at the UN Headquarters in New York.

The Stupa containing the sacred relics of the Lord Buddha gifted by Buddhists in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar consists of a brass casket with pure gold leaves.

The Stupa has been named a Memorial Stupa to commemorate the 1999 UN General Assembly resolution that recognised Vesak as an international holiday at the UN Headquarters and other UN offices.

Since 2000, under the patronage of Thailand’s Supreme Patriarch, the Stupa has travelled the world touching more than 30 countries as a symbol of peace. The Memorial Stupa will be in continuous display at the United Nations headquarters for public viewing.

The ceremony was attended by a large number of invitees and Buddhist monks in New York. Speaking on this occasion Sri Lanka’s UN Ambassador Prasad Kariyawasam, paid a tribute to the late Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, who took the initiative in 1999 on behalf of Sri Lanka and a large number of co-sponsor states to table a UN resolution calling for the international recognition of Vesak.

Ambassador Kariyawasam said Mr. Kadirgamar helped realise the aspiration of many Buddhists who wanted Vesak declared an international holiday in recognition of the teachings of the Buddha that promoted universal peace and equality among peoples for more than 2500 years.