New Delhi, Sep 20 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga on Friday jointly unveiled a statue of Lord Buddha and his two disciples, installed at the historic Gandan Tegchenling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar.
The statue at Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar, which symbolises the shared respect of the two countries for the universal message of Lord Buddha, was unveiled at a brief ceremony held at the Prime Minister's Lok Kalyan Marg residence through video.
The Gandan Monastery is located in Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar.

The Prime Minister had offered prayers at the Gandan Tegchenling Monastery during his visit to Mongolia in 2015 and had announced to gift a statue of Lord Buddha to the monastery, underlining the common Buddhist heritage and civilizational links between the two countries and peoples.

The statue depicts Lord Buddha in a sitting posture along with his two disciples conveying the message of compassion along with peace and co-existence.
The statue was installed and consecrated at the Gandan Monastery earlier this month during the third edition of Samvaad dialogue held in Ulaanbaatar from September 6–7.
Third edition of Samvaad dialogue brought together Buddhist religious leaders, experts and scholars from different countries to deliberate on contemporary issues related to Buddhism.
Gandan Tegchenling Monastery is a prominent centre of Mongolian Buddhists and a treasure house of valuable Buddhist heritage. It hosted the 11th General Assembly of Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace (ABCP) from June 21-23, 2019 marking the 50th anniversary of the Conference.
Over 150 guests from 14 countries including India, South Korea, Russia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, North Korea, LPDR, Thailand and Japan had participated in the event.

UNI RSA ADG 1634