As
part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and India Japan @70,Ambassador
of
India to Japan H. E. Shri Sibi
George presented a bronze statue of Bodhisena made in India to Daian-ji Temple, the southern capital of Nara. In 752, Bodhisena, who served as a priest as Brahman Sojo at the opening ceremony of the Great Buddha Hall of Todaiji Temple, lived in this Daian-ji Temple until he passed away. The friendship between India and Japan has a long history rooted in spiritual affinity and strong cultural and civilizational ties. India’s earliest documented direct contact with Japan was with the Todaiji Temple in Nara, where Bodhisena had performed the consecration or eye-opening of the towering statue of Lord Buddha in 752 AD. The Ambassador was on a visit to Nara Prefecture as part of prefectural outreach.