Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga today jointly unveiled a statue of Lord Buddha at Gandan Monastery in Ulaanbaatar through video-conferencing in New Delhi. Mr Modi had offered prayers at the Gandan Tegchenling Monastery during his visit to Mongolia in 2015 and had announced to gift a statue of Lord Buddha to the monastery, underlining the common Buddhist heritage and civilizational links between the two countries and people.
Gandan Tegchenling Monastery is a prominent centre of Mongolian Buddhists and a treasure house of valuable Buddhist heritage. The Statue unveiled today by Prime Minister and Mongolian President symbolizes the shared respect of the two countries for the universal message of Lord Buddha.
Before the unveiling ceremony, Mr Battulga met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg. Both leaders held discussions on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues. Mongolian President arrived in New Delhi yesterday on a five-day state visit to India.