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Accessible Tourism Opening Pathways for All at Bodhgaya, India

 #Travelling is more than just seeing new places — it’s about freedom, connection, and spiritual growth. For persons with #disabilities, #accessible #tourism ensures that everyone has the opportunity to explore the world without barriers. 

In November 2024, #Manique Gunaratne together with a team from the #Damrivi Foundation embarked on a meaningful journey to #Bodhgaya, India, to participate in the #Katina #Pinkama — a sacred Buddhist ceremony symbolizing generosity and spiritual renewal. 

Bodhgaya, where Lord Buddha attained Enlightenment is one of the most revered sites in Buddhism. Visiting such a profound place reminds us that spirituality and travel should be #inclusive and accessible to all, empowering persons with disabilities to experience the world with dignity and independence. 


බෝධිගයා යනු බුදුන් වහන්සේගේ ජීවිතයේ අතිශය මහත් වැදගත් ස්ථානයකි. මෙය බුදුන් වහන්සේ "සම්බුද්ධත්වය ලබාගත් පූජනීය භූමිය ලෙස" නම් කරයි. බෝ ගස යට බුදුන් වහන්සේ සැදැහැති පරමාර්ථය අනුව බෝධිය ලබාගත් ස්ථානය වන්නේ මෙයයි. එම නිසා බෝධිගයා බෞද්ධයන්ට විශ්වයේ පූජනීයතම පූජා භූමියක් ලෙස සැලකේ. 

"කටින පිංකම" යනු වස් කාලය අවසන් වූ පසු පින්වත් බෞද්ධයන් විසින් සංඝරත්නයට නව වස්ත්‍ර පූජා කිරීමේ පින්කමකි. මෙය බුදු දහම  තුළ දානය, සම්ප්‍රදාය සහ එකමුතුව පවත්වා ගැනීමේ උසස් පින්කමක් ලෙස සැලකේ.

"බෝධිගයා කටින පිංකම" ඉතා විශිෂ්ට අර්ථවත් උත්සවයකි. බුදුන් වහන්සේ බුද්ධත්වය ලැබූ ස්ථානයේ සංඝයාට කටින වස්ත්‍ර පූජා කිරීම යනු බෞද්ධ විශ්වාසයේ ඉතා උසස් ආගමික පූජාවකි. මෙය මගින් යථාර්ථවාදී බෞද්ධ දේශනාවේ මූලික අගය වන "දාන, සීල හා භාවනා" යන තුන් මාර්ගය උදෙසා සිදුකරනු ලබයි. 

මෙවැනි උත්සව බෞද්ධයන්ට බුදුන් වහන්සේගේ ධර්මය  සිහිකිරීමටත්, බුදු දහම කෙරෙහි ඇති ශ්‍රද්ධාව  හා කැපවීම වර්ධනය කිරීමටත්, ලෝකය පුරා බෞද්ධ සංස්කෘතියට ගෞරව දැක්වීමටත් උපකාරී වේ.


A woman standing in front of an orange banner at an indoor event. The banner reads: "Namo Buddhaya!! KATHINA CHIVARA DANA CEREMONY 8th, 9th & 10th November-2024 MAHA BODHI SOCIETY OF INDIA, BUDDHAGAYA CEN..." There are fairy lights hanging above and several people in white clothing seated behind her, some on red chairs and some on a marble ledge. There are some potted plants near the wall. The atmosphere appears formal and peaceful, likely a religious or cultural ceremony.

A large outdoor gathering of people in meditation or prayer, sitting cross-legged on mats under a large leafy tree. Most participants are dressed in white, with a few wearing yellow scarves. In the foreground, a Buddhist monk in orange robes sits on a chair facing the group, speaking into microphones on a glass table with a fan, water bottles, and a green lotus leaf arrangement. There are a few other monks seated nearby in maroon robes. The setting appears calm and serene, with lush greenery and some ancient stone structures visible in the background.

A gathering of people, including Buddhist monks in orange and yellow robes, nuns, and lay practitioners. Many are seated on patterned carpets, some in meditation or prayer, facing an altar adorned with flowers and decorations under a large, ancient tree (likely the Bodhi tree). A clock hangs on a green pole in the foreground. Other people, some wearing face masks, stand or walk nearby, and a few individuals are bowing in worship. The setting has stone walls with intricate carvings, and the atmosphere is calm and reverent, typical of a sacred or pilgrimage site.

Three women standing close together, smiling. They are in a brightly lit indoor venue decorated with many small string lights. All three women are dressed in light-colored, lacy or embroidered tops. The woman on the left is holding a large yellow and purple tote bag. There are several other people in the background, including a man in a white shirt with orange trim. The atmosphere appears festive, and a red banner with white text is visible in the background.



#Kishara #Manique Gunaratne

Manager – Specialise Training and Disability Resource Centre of The Employers’ Federation of Ceylon


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