Chittagong, Bangladesh - A sombre mood pervaded the serene atmosphere inside a monastery Wednesday in the southern Bangladesh port city of Chittagong. Here in the ornate hall of the Buddhist temple amid the incantations by monks, representatives of the Bangladeshi government handed over to visiting Sri Lankan envoys a lock of hair from the holiest Gautama Buddha.
The 30-member high profile delegation from Colombo included Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama and three other cabinet ministers.
Chief monk Vojonta Dharma Sen led the prayers in the monastery in Chittagong which was once the most attractive Buddhist city in South Asia.
"The gift of Buddha's hair will raise friendship and goodwill between the two countries," Ajit Ranjan Barua of the Bangladesh Buddhist Association told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
The signs of the ancient dominance of Buddhism in the region were visible all over in the port city, located more than 240 kilometres south of the capital Dhaka, and its suburbs.
Islamic militants and Hindu fanatics are said to have destroyed much evidence of Buddhist rule in the subcontinent.
However, some historically significant Viharas (monasteries) have been dug out from under the rain-soaked muddy landscapes of northern and eastern Bangladesh.
The hair relics of Buddha, known to followers as Kesho Dhatu, have been preserved for the last 77 years in the Chittagong temple.
Temple records show a Tibetan Buddhist monk, Shakya Bhikkhu, brought the sacred hair to Chittagong in the 1930s during his visit to the region as a gift for the local monks.
The Sri Lankan government reportedly made a request to the Bangladesh authorities for a piece of the relic. Bangladesh has already shared the sacred hair with Thailand and Japan.
