Buddha Statue Diplomacy And India's Long History Of Relations With South Korea

JAKARTA - The Indian Council on Cultural Relations awarded Tongdo Temple in Yangsan, Gyeongsang Province, South Korea a bronze Buddha statue as a symbol of strengthening relations between the two countries.

The ceremony of handing over the statue took place at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Center at the Indian Embassy in Seoul some time ago. The ceremony begins with a ritual and a ceremony mentioning statues by monks from Tongdo Temple, followed by kathak dance performances by Avijeet Chakravarty and Oh Suk-hee, in homage to Buddha.

"I look forward to doing a lot with the authority of Tongdosa Temple and the Yangsan people. May will be a special month for us, as we will go to Tongdosa, continuing the process we have started today. And hope to further unite the People of India and Korea through this beautiful Buddhist media," said Indian Ambassador to South Korea Sripriya Ranganathan on the sidelines of the ceremony, according to the Korea Times.

Tongdo Temple has a special relationship with India, as it was built by monks who had traveled there and became Buddhist disciples. The temple is located near Mount Yeongchuk, which resembles the shape of the Rajagriha mountain range, where the Buddha handed out Dhamrma to his disciples, showing another bond between the temple and India.

The Head Monk of Tongdo Ven Temple. Hyunmoon said that this gift started from ambassador Ranganathan's visit in October 2020. From this visit, He heard about the temple's relationship with India.

"We asked the ambassador to bring a Buddha statue from India, the birthplace of Buddhism, and the Government of India sincerely accepted our request, thanks for the ambassador's efforts," explained Hyunmoon.

"I really hope this Buddhist event can increase the exchange between India and South Korea when the world faces difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic," he continued.

Meanwhile, President Moon Jae-in's Secretary for New Southern Policy and New Northern Policy Yeo Han-gu said the moment was important for the bilateral relations of the two countries.

"India is part of the New South Korea Policy, the main diplomatic policy of Moon Jae-in's Government. President Moon and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called each other brothers and friends during their talks," Yeo said.

"Historically, Queen Heo Hwang-ok of the Kingdom of Gaya (43-532 AD) came from India, and Buddhism was the main religion of Korea. I am very happy to welcome a Buddha statue from India that is presented to Tongdo Temple," he continued.

After the handover ceremony, the statue is moved to the temple, and the temple authorities will hold another ceremony to install the statue on May 16. The statue was unveiled to the public on May 19 in celebration of Buddha's Birthday.

Meanwhile, a virtual exhibition titled 'Bodhicitta: Establishing a Tradition of Buddhist Art from India in Asia' which was digitally curated by the National Museum of India, was also launched at Tongdo Temple on May 16.