Buddhists celebrate Prabarana Purnima

Buddhists today celebrated their second largest religious festival Prabarana Purnima in the city as elsewhere across the country with due solemnity and traditional enthusiasm.

The festival is also known as Ashwini Purnima that marks conclusion of the three-month long seclusion of the monks inside their monasteries for self-edification and atonement of their defilement.

The purnima follows a month-long preaching of sermons by the Buddhist monks for the welfare of every being and the whole humankind through a month-long yellow robes offering ceremony that begins from tomorrow (day after the Purnima).

To mark this event, the Buddhists released lanterns in the sky this evening which is the key attraction of the festival.

The event was celebrated in all monasteries, respective offices of the religious organisations and educational institutions through daylong programmes.

The programmes started with the hoisting of the national and religious flags atop all monasteries at dawn and chanting of sacred verses from the Tripitaka.

Breaking of fasting of the monks, mass prayers, blood donation, Sangadana, discussions, panchashila, asthashila and pradip puja were highlighted the programmes.

In the capital, the main religious congregations were held at Dharmarajika Buddha Bihar, Kamalapur, International Buddhist Monastery at Merul Badda, Kalachandpur Bouddha Bihar, Uttara Bouddha Bihar, Adibashi Buddha Temple at Mirpur and Ashulia Bodhi Gyan Maithree Bhabona Kendra.

Marking the day, a discussion was held at the International Buddhist Monastery at Merul Badda this evening.

In Chittagong, the religious congregations were held at different temples, including Nandankanan Buddhist Temple, Katalgonj Nabapandit Bihar, Shakyamuni Mohasashan Bouddha Bihar at Agrabad, Purnachar International Buddhists Monastery at Debpahar and Sarbojanin Bouddha Bihar at Momin Road.

Special prayers were also held in all monasteries seeking peace and prosperity of the nation as well as global peace.

Members of the law enforcement agencies were deployed in and around all temples in the city and districts for smooth celebration of the festival.