25 October 2022 12:00 am Views - 155
The annual Katina Cheewara ceremony of the New Delhi Buddhist Vihara was held on October 22 and 23 under the patronage of Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda, a statement from the mission said.
A special sutta chanting by the Maha Sangha was held as part of a two-day long Katina Cheewara Dana ceremony, led by the Joint Secretary of the Mahabodhi Society of India Ven. Rathmalwala Sumithananda Thero, the Chief Incumbent of the New Delhi Buddhist Vihara; Ven. Yudaganawe Seelawansa Thero and Administration Secretary of the Sri Lanka Buddhist Pilgrim Rest New Delhi Ven. Pallegama Vijitha Thero. The staff members of the High Commission, large number of Sri Lankan and other Buddhists residing in the city participated at the Pinkama.
Katina refers to the offering of the special robe (Katina Cheewara) prepared and presented to monks who have completed the three-month period of retreat called Vas in Sinhala, and Vassana in Pali, meaning the period of rain. The Katina ceremony is over 2560 years old. It is a monastic tradition preserved and observed by Buddhists all over the world as it is an extraordinary opportunity to acquire merit once a year.