Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday jointly launched the signalling system for the Maho-Anuradhapura railway line with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The two leaders are also jointly flagged off a train at Anuradhapura Railway Station.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi visited the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi temple in the historic Sri Lankan city and paid respects at the Buddhist shrine.
Modi was accompanised by Dissanayake during the trip to Anuradhapura, a spiritual city at a distance of around 200 km from Colombo. He also sought blessings from the head monk at the shrine.
“Offered prayers at the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura with President Dissanayake. It’s a deeply humbling moment to be at one of the most revered sites in Buddhism,” Modi said in a social media post.
“It is a living symbol of peace, enlightenment and spiritual continuity. May the teachings of Lord Buddha always guide us,” he said.
The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi temple has a special significance in the India-Sri Lanka civilisational ties. It is believed that the sacred Bodhi tree at the temple has its origin in India’s Bodhgaya.
The sapling of the Bodhi tree was brought by Theri Sanghamitta, the daughter of Emperor Ashoka from India, and was planted there in the precincts of the temple.
#WATCH | Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka: PM Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake jointly launch the signalling system for the Maho-Anuradhapura railway line—a project supported by the Indian government
They also jointly flagged off a train at Anuradhapura… pic.twitter.com/sNsoGmtU1F
— ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2025
PM Modi’s Sri Lanka Visit
PM Modi arrived in Colombo on Friday after concluding his trip to Thailand where he attended the sixth BIMSTEC Summit.
On Saturday, Modi and Dissanayake held bilateral talks on several areas and unveiled 10 specific outcomes including seven agreements to expand ties in several sectors such as defence, energy and digitalisation.
The defence pact is considered significant as it signalled an upswing in the India-Sri Lanka strategic ties nearly four decades after the IPKF episode.
