Sri Lankan delegation brings sacred stone from Ashok Vatika to Ayodhya
Sri Lankan high commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda visits Ram Janmabhoomi, receives warm welcome from Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust members
A Sri Lankan delegation led by their high commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda visited the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya on Thursday and offered a shila (sacred stone) from the island nation’s Ashok Vatika for the Ram temple. The high commissioner also paid obeisance to Ram Lalla (idol of the infant Ram).
The Sri Lankan delegation and Ram Janmabhoomi Trust members in Ayodhya on Thursday. (SOURCED IMAGE)
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The high commissioner’s wife Jennifer Moragoda, deputy high commissioner Niluka Kadurugamuwa, minister H G U Pushpkumara and minister counsellor G K G Sarath Godakanda were among the others who visited the Ram Janmabhoomi as part of the Sri Lankan delegation.
Champat Rai, general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, received them at the Ram Janmabhoomi. Trust members Dr Anil Mishra and Vimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra were also present.
According to the Hindu epic Ramayan, Sita, Lord Ram’s wife, was held captive by demon king Ravan, at Ashok Vatika.
In a tweet earlier this year, the Indian high commissioner to Sri Lanka had made the announcement about dedicating a stone from Sita Eliya (Ashok Vatika) for construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
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“A stone from Sita Eliya in Sri Lanka for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya will be a pillar of strength for India-Sri Lanka ties. This stone was received at the Mayurapathi Amman Temple by HC-designate of Sri Lanka to India HE Mr. Milinda Moragoda in presence of the High Commissioner,” the tweet read.
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“A stone from Sita Eliya in Sri Lanka for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya will be a pillar of strength for India-Sri Lanka ties. This stone was received at the Mayurapathi Amman Temple by HC-designate of Sri Lanka to India HE Mr. Milinda Moragoda in presence of the High Commissioner,” the tweet read.
Pawan Dixit, Assistant Editor, brings over 20 years of frontline reporting experience to the newsroom. A specialist on Uttar Pradesh politics and governance, he has reported from the ground across the state’s most consequential stories. He cut his teeth in eastern UP, spending 15 years covering the region. Based in Varanasi, he reported the 2012 UP Assembly polls and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections that reshaped the state’s political map. Moving to Lucknow in 2016, he has since led coverage of the 2017 and 2022 UP Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. His reporting tracks the BJP’s strategy, opposition moves, and voter sentiment across all 75 districts. Pawan has been a constant presence in Ayodhya since 2016. He reported the entire arc of the Ram Mandir movement — from the legal fight to the Supreme Court verdict, through temple construction, to the inauguration. He continues to track every development at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. On the state beat, he covers the BJP, the Industrial Development Department, and handles key outstation political assignments. He also reports major cases from the district court, Lucknow bench of the High Court, and the State Information Commission. Along with this, he also reports on NGT's important decisions related to UP. Known for sharp sourcing and clear analysis, Pawan connects politics, policy, infrastructure and faith — the forces driving UP today. He has reported developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir movement since 2016. The Supreme Court's Ram Mandir verdict, temple construction and the its opening have been reported by him.
He reports all developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir Trust.
He covers state BJP, Industrial development department, outstation political assignments, reports special cases from district court, high court and state information commission
