The events commenced with a Dana Ceremony with atapirikara pooja offered to all the Maha Nayaka’s and the guest monks from the Buddhist temples in Great Britain , London Buddhist Vihara Thames Buddhist Vihara, Birmingham Buddhist Viharas and the Thai temples in UK. The pooja was offered by the Sinhala Subha Sadhaka Samithiya of East Ham and Dr Shiroma jayaweera Bandara.
At 3pm the Cultural events started. The Bhikkus arrived to the outdoor podium lead by young and talented Srilankan Kandiyan dancers of the Dhamma School Thames Buddhist Vihara dancing to the sound of the drums and conch. The auspicious lighting of the lamp was initiated by His Excellency The High Commissioner Dr Chris Nonis, who was followed by the members of the Sri Sambodhi Vihara, Srilanka and the UK.
The Chief Monk Ven Daranagama Kusaladhamma Thero addressed the assembly and expressed gratitude for the presence of the Maha Nayaka theros and thanked all those who were involved in the process of making the Sri Sambodhi Meditation centre a reality.
