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Indian envoy joins Buddhist master's statue enshrinement in South Korea

Ceremony highlighted centuries-old spiritual and cultural ties between India and Korea.

 Indian Ambassador Gourangalal Das attends the enshrinement ceremony of Venerable Jigong's statue in South Korea. Indian Ambassador Gourangalal Das attends the enshrinement ceremony of Venerable Jigong's statue in South Korea. / IANS

India's Ambassador to South Korea, Gourangalal Das, attended the enshrinement ceremony of a statue of Venerable Jigong (Dhyanabhadra), the 14th-century Indian Buddhist master whose teachings helped shape the development of Buddhism in Korea.

According to the Indian Embassy in South Korea, the ceremony underscored the longstanding civilizational and spiritual ties shared by the two countries.

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"The event was made possible through support and close cooperation of the Jogye Order, the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), the International Center for Cultural Studies (ICCS) and the Indian Embassy in South Korea, reaffirming the shared civilizational links and enduring spiritual heritage of India and Korea," the embassy said in a post on X.

The embassy said the event reflected the growing India-Korea Buddhist partnership and highlighted the role of cultural and religious exchanges in strengthening bilateral relations.

The ceremony comes weeks after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited South Korea for talks aimed at expanding cooperation across a range of sectors.

During his two-day visit in June, Jaishankar met South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun in Seoul to review collaboration in shipbuilding, trade, investment, defense, technology, clean energy, culture and people-to-people exchanges. The two leaders also discussed opportunities in startups, fintech and multilateral forums.

"Pleased to meet FM Cho Hyun of RoK in Seoul today," Jaishankar wrote on X after the meeting. "We reviewed our cooperation across political, shipbuilding, trade, investments, defence, technology, clean energy, culture and P2P domains, as well as opportunities in startups, fintech and multilateral fora."

Cho Hyun said the discussions built on the momentum created by President Lee Jae Myung's state visit to India and focused on advancing cooperation in trade, investment and finance.

He added that the two ministers also exchanged views on the evolving global situation and agreed to maintain close communication on the economic implications of developments in the Middle East.

Jaishankar also met South Korea's National Security Director Wi Sung-lac during the visit. According to the minister, the two sides exchanged strategic assessments on global developments and the Indo-Pacific, reaffirming continued engagement on regional and international issues.

The enshrinement ceremony and the recent high-level meetings reflect the broadening scope of India-South Korea relations, spanning cultural heritage, strategic cooperation and economic partnership.

Discover more at New India Abroad.

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