A high-profile Sri Lankan delegation recently met His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in Dharamshala to strengthen ties through spiritual and cultural exchange. The visit was organised under the auspices of Semkay Ling: Pali and Sanskrit Cultural Exchange Centre.

The initiative was spearheaded by the Centre’s Chairman, DSG, IBC, Dr Damenda Porage, who is also the founding President of the Sri Lankan Tibetan Buddhist Brotherhood Society. The delegation comprised 18 members, including 12 senior Buddhist monks — several of them university professors — and eight lay devotees.

During the meeting, the delegation presented His Holiness with several symbolic gifts. The Sri Lankan lay devotees offered a meticulously crafted, gem-studded replica of the Potala Palace, Dalai Lama’s former royal residence.

Venerable Beligala Amarasiri Maha Thero also presented a replica of what is planned to be South Asia’s largest sitting Buddha statue, currently under construction in Biyagama. The gesture underscored the longstanding spiritual connection and mutual respect between the Sri Lankan and Tibetan Buddhist traditions. The exchange focused on promoting peace, religious harmony, and the revival and preservation of ancient Indian knowledge and Buddhist teachings.