18th July 2016 03:21:29 Hours
A felicitation ceremony on the conferment of the Adhikarana Sangha Nayake honourary designation of the Amarapura Sri Saddhamawansa Sangha Sabha on Ven Delgoda Sumana Nayake Thera took place on Sunday (17) at Sudharmarama Purana Viharaya, Morawinna, Panadura amidst a gathering of distinguished guests, including Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva, Commander of the Army.
The ceremony coincided also with the 50th birth anniversary of the laureate monk and the opening of the newly erected Buddha statue and a residential quarter (aawasage) in the temple premises.
The day’s laureate was conducted to the venue in a procession.
Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva offered the first tray of flowers to the Buddha statue and observed religious rites before he took part in the unveiling of a plaque that signalled the opening of the new residential quarters.
Soon after the Act of Appointment (Aktapathra) was offered to the new Adhikrana Sangha Nayake, the Commander of the Army was invited to honour him by presenting the day’s protagonist with a symbolic ‘Atapirikara’ as a representative token of the basic needs of a monk.
Lighting of the traditional oil lamp and chanting of ‘Seth Pirith’ were also included in the day’s agenda. A few chief monks and the laureate delivered orations (anusasana) during the ceremony.
Air Marshal Gagan Bulathsinghala, Commander of the Air Force, Rear Admiral Sirimevan Ranasinghe, Chief of Staff in the Navy and Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe, Commander, Security Forces-West were among the participants at the ceremony.
