Gaya: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited the royal Kathina robes to be offered at All India Bhikkhu Sangha, Gaya Province, Bihar State, Republic of India. The Faculty of Dentistry, CMU, volunteers, and Thai-Indian Buddhists also participated in the ceremony.
According to Thai News Agency, Ms. Sasirith Tankulrat, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, presided over the invitation of the royal Kathina robes bestowed by His Majesty the King to be offered at All India Bhikkhu Sangha, Gaya Province, Bihar State, Republic of India. Phra Brahma Wachiraphotivong, Abbot of Wat Thai Buddhagaya and Head of the Dharma Missionary Group of India-Nepal, presided over the monastic side, and Phra Bhikkhu Prajyadeep, Abbot of All India Bhikkhu Sangha Temple, along with other monks, participated in the ceremony.
Also in attendance were Ms. Chawanat Tangsamphan, Ambassador to New Delhi; Ms. Siriporn Tantipanyathep, Consul-General in Calcutta; Mr. Panidon Pachimsawat, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Information; the Thai Consul-General in India; Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials; Team Thailand; the Faculty of Dentistry at Chiang Mai University; doctors; volunteers from the Royal Dental Unit; and Thai and Indian Buddhists. On the Indian side, Dr. Mahashweta Maharathi, Secretary-General of the Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC), along with senior officials from the state of Bihar, also presented the royal Kathina robes. They also held a ceremony to present 74 Buddha Jayanti Sri Siam statues to the Buddhist community in Gaya and distributed relief supplies to the needy in India.
The All India Bhikkhu Sangha is a Theravada Buddhist monastic organization founded in 1972 to revive Buddhism in India under the auspices of the Thai Buddhist Temple, Bodh Gaya. Currently, the network of monks is spread across India and has been continuously carrying out activities to propagate Buddhism, such as teaching Dhamma, training in Pali language, Vipassana meditation, and holding regular academic seminars on Buddhism.
This is the 15th time the Royal Kathina robes have been offered in India, reflecting the deep and connected relationship between Thailand and India, which has spanned over 2,000 years, with Buddhism serving as the foundation for closeness and cooperation.