The Sandahiru Seya in Anuradhapura will be vested with the Venerable Maha Sanga today (November 18), thereby officially opening the sacred site for devotees.

The Venerable Maha Sanga and a number of distinguished invitees are expected to attend the ‘Crest Gem’ unveiling ceremony today, which will be graced by the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Families of the deceased veteran war heroes and differently able ex-servicemen will also arrive at the Stupa premises on the opening day ceremony to witness the blessed noble event.

The ‘Crest Gem’ had been placed at the tip of the Stupa pinnacle on November 08, amidst religious observances. 

The ‘Sandahiru Seya’ in Anuradhapura is the second biggest pagoda in the country while its ceremonial consecration to the ‘Sasana’ and the Maha Sangha is to be held on Ill Full Moon Day (18) in a landmark ceremony.

The pagoda’s structural completion was carried out with the support of hundreds of Army, Navy, Air Force, Police and Civil Security Department personnel of respective security establishments.

Erected to immortalize the memory of all War Heroes and civil staffers who laid their lives for defence of the country, the ‘Sandahiru Seya’ is to be unveiled and consecrated before leaving it formally in the custodianship of the members of the Maha Sangha.

President Gotabaya Rjapaksa, Defence Secretary General (Rtd) Kamal Gunaratne, Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army General Shavendra Silva and the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne had observed the final preparations for the event, yesterday (17).