A consecration ceremony for the installation of a new idol of Lord Buddha was held at the Mahabodhi Society of India’s Bhubaneswar centre on Wednesday under the Holy Bodhi tree amidst the chanting of hymns.
Mahabodhi Society of India general secretary Sewali Thero and other monks with many members of the society placed the statue in a new pedestal. Society Odisha Centre president Dr Bimalendu Mohanty and secretary Sourendra Mohapatra and national vice-president Aryakumar Jnanendra along with other members were present.
The 63-year-old Bodhi tree is a direct descendant of the original Bodhi tree at Gaya, under which Gautama Buddha had attained enlightenment. A seedling of the original Bodhi tree, which was planted in 288 BCE at Bodhgaya, was taken to Sri Lanka by Emperor Ashoka’s daughter Sanghamitra in the third century BC and planted at Anuradhapura. On May 13, 1957, a seedling obtained from Sri Lanka was planted in the premises by the then Myanmar Prime Minister U Nu.
Last year, Cyclone Fani had virtually ripped off the Bodhi tree in Bhubaneswar. It could not withstand the ravage and was uprooted, damaging the multitude of statues surrounding the base. The uprooted tree was made upright and has sprung to life again. The Buddha statues along with 28 smaller statues were replaced.