The government decides to conduct a formal investigation into the incident of dressing the statue of Aukana Buddha with a robe.
Accordingly, it is reported that Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Minister Mr. Vidura Wickramanayake has ordered the relevant authorities to conduct an investigation into this matter.
After a series of photos circulated on social media, many people criticized it, which is said to be about a ritual of wearing robes to the Buddha statue. Below are the photos that circulated on the social network.
According to the Department of Archaeology, it is a punishable offense to alter the existing nature of a statue of archaeological value.
The Aukana Buddha statue, which is believed to have been built in the 8th century AD, is about 38 feet and 10 inches in height, and is located in the village of Aukana, west of the Kala Lake in Anuradhapura district, facing the Kala Lake.