Sri Lanka - Thailand: Two Nations, One Family

By Janaka Alahapperuma

Royal Thai Embassy, Colombo, organises “Sri Lanka-Thailand: Two Nations, One Family” an exhibition of 60 photographs by Miss Jiratha Narapittayanart, a young popular photographer from Thailand on 11 September 2014 at Level-2, Kandy City Centre (KCC), Kandy. This Photograph Exhibition will continue until September 14^th from10.00 am till 07.00 pm.

The photographs display in the exhibition, which come from the photographer’s journeys in Sri Lanka and Thailand, showcase the unbelievably close ties and similarity on Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Thailand. From those photographs Miss Jiratha tries to demonstrate the longstanding strong bond between the two nations when Siam (now known as Thailand) received Upasampada to establish Lankavamsa Nikaya from Sri Lanka almost a thousand years ago. During the reign of King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe (1747-1782), Siam returned her gratitude by assisting the establishment of Siam Nikaya in Kandy Kingdom in 1753. “Sri Lanka-Thailand: Two Nations, One Family” photoexhibition is a part of the commemoration for the 260th Anniversary of the Establishment of Siam Nikaya in Sri Lanka (Siam Upasampada- higher ordination, as distinct from samanera or novice ordination for a group of Kandyan monks).

However this exhibition is also a part of the celebration for the 60th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Thailand and Sri Lanka though the two countries have had close religious, cultural, political and trade relationships for over a thousand years the formal diplomatic links were established only in 1955.

H.E. Mr. Nopporn Adchariyavanich, Thai Ambassador to Sri Lanka said, “Miss Jiratha Narapittayanart is highly talented. Her photographs really amaze me as it shows temples and stupas in a different angle, which subsequently gives amazing photos”.