The Pakistan government sent the sculpture of the fasting Siddhartha (Sakyamuni Buddha), a rare piece of Ghandhara Art housed at the Lahore Museum, to Colombo yesterday.

According to the Press Attache of the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo, Ms Suriya Jamal, the statue was handed over to the Cultural Ministry by the Pakistani High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Bashir Wali Mohamed, who was instrumental in getting the statue to Sri Lanka.

To mark the 2550th Buddha Jayanthi celebrations, the masterpiece will be handed over to the chief incumbent of the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya, the Venerable Kollupitiye Sangharakkhitha, by the Pakistani High Commissioner at a special ceremony today, in the presence of Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and Cultural Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardane, for the public to pay homage today and tomorrow. The presentation will be made at the Foreign Ministry at 10.00 a.m., the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

It was only on April 2 this year that President Mahinda Rajapakse paid homage to this Fasting Siddhartha statue at the Lahore Museum when he made his first visit to Pakistan.

It is said that this statue has not been moved out of the Lahore Museum, except on one occasion, under special circumstances to Japan, for its sanctity and for security reasons.

"Bringing of the statue of the Fasting Siddhartha reflects the cordial relations between President General Parvez Musharraf and President Mahinda Rajapakse, which was further strengthened by the latter’s recent visit to Pakistan. This visit brought the two nations closer", the Pakistan High Commission said.