Indian Subcontinent Enshrines Its First El Cantare Statue on Jan 17, 2012
A new El Cantare statue, accompanied by the Prayer Shrine for Building the Bodh Gaya Temple has been placed on December 28, 2011 in the currently-under-construction Bodh Gaya Temple. The statue is the first El Cantare statue to be enshrined in the Indian Subcontinent.
A new El Cantare statue, accompanied by the Prayer Shrine for Building the Bodh Gaya Temple has been placed on December 28, 2011 in the currently-under-construction Bodh Gaya Temple. The statue is the first El Cantare statue to be enshrined in the Indian Subcontinent.
There was widespread media coverage on the ceremony which was reported as “a historic event for Bodh Gaya.”
Approximately 3,000 participants attended the enshrinement and completion ceremony of the El Cantare Statue at the Prayer Shrine for Building the Bodh Gaya Temple.
The pilgrimage parade to the ceremony began at Mahabodhi Temple which then headed towards Kalachakra – where Master Ryuho Okawa’s speech was held in March – and finally finished at the Prayer Shrine for Building the Bodh Gaya Temple.
The line of pilgrims extended to some two kilometers, and was later joined by monks from Vietnam, Tibet, and Thailand visiting Bodh Gaya on their own pilgrimage, creating a grand-scale parade.
Upon arrival at the temple, the members recited “Prayer to El Cantare” in Hindi, followed by the unveiling of the El Cantare statue. After a brief greeting and a speech of gratitude by Ms. Inoue, Temple Manager of Bodh Gaya, the crowd jointly chanted: “Victory to El Cantare!”
The enshrinement of the El Cantare statue in India has helped extend the Lord’s light in the sacred land and has also marked an important milestone towards attaining world peace.
March 6, 2012 will mark the one-year anniversary of the preaching tour held in Bodh Gaya; the temple is scheduled to hold an anniversary ceremony together with a celebration for the completion of the Prayer Shrine for Building the Bodh Gaya Temple
Vast Media Coverage on the El Cantare Statue Enshrinement
The celebration was gathered by a total of sixteen media outlets including eight newspapers, two magazines, and six television stations. In addition to being featured by India’s number one newspaper, the celebration was also featured on the television news that very day.
