Indian Government Committed to Safeguarding Buddhist Heritage and Culture
19-Sep-2025.
The Government of India is firmly committed to safeguarding and promoting Buddhist heritage and culture. Deputy High Commissioner of India Dr. Satyanchal Pandey stated that due to timely objections raised by the Indian government, the auctioning of sacred relics of the Buddha in Hong Kong was postponed.
With the support of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the Indian High Commission in Colombo, the Pathfinder Foundation has reprinted the ancient Pali grammar text Balavataro. The book was launched on September 13 at the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy by Deputy High Commissioner Dr. Pandey together with the Pathfinder Foundation.
Copies of the book were also handed over to Anunayake Theras of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters, including Ven. Thibbotuwawe Sri Sarankara Vimala Dhamma Anunayake Thera, Ven. Nyangoda Vijithasiri Anunayake Thera, and Ven. Wedaruwe Dharmakeerthi Sri Rathnapala Upali Thera, among others.
This is the second ancient Pali text reprinted by the Pathfinder Foundation under the support of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the Indian High Commission. Previously, Namamala was reissued.
For generations, Balavataro has been a vital resource for Pali studies in pirivenas and schools across Sri Lanka, and this reprint will be of great benefit to Pali students.
On this occasion, the senior monks of the Sangha expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for declaring Pali a classical language and for his efforts to promote it. They also emphasized that the shared Pali heritage stands as a powerful symbol of the enduring spiritual and cultural ties between India and Sri Lanka.
Delivering his speech at the event, Deputy High Commissioner Pandey reiterated India’s commitment to safeguarding and promoting Buddhist heritage and culture. He also recalled how India, by timely intervention, prevented the auction of relics in Hong Kong and stressed that the sacred relics, discovered in Piprahwa in 1898, must be returned to their rightful place in India.
