Monument of eternal friendship: Pakistan Pavilion at Buddhist Museum

The government and the people of Pakistan established a historic Pakistan Pavilion at the Sri Dalada International Museum of World Buddhism, Kandy in response to the proposed plans for the establishment of an International Buddhist Museum.

The Pakistan Pavilion was opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in May. The pavilion offers an excellent opportunity for visitors to access to information about the places of Buddhist values in Pakistan.

Despite being a predominantly Muslim country, the people and the government of Pakistan have preserved heritage sites and the places of worship belonging to other religious communities.

Buddhism left a rich legacy of art and architecture in Pakistan. Despite the vagaries of centuries, the Gandhara region preserved a lot of the heritage in craft and art. This legacy is visible even today in Pakistan.

The Pakistan Pavilion at the International Buddhist Museum aims to showcase the historic legacy of Gandhara region of Pakistan, which is preserved in a respectable manner in Pakistan.

The Pakistan pavilion is composed of two chambers namely Gandhara and Taxilla. It contains replicas of historic Buddhist monuments from these regions.

The statue of Fasting Buddha has become an icon of the rich Gandhara heritage of Pakistan.

It has unique characteristics, depicting the hardships that Siddhartha endured to attain the enlightenment. This statue ranks the finest specimen of Gandhara Art and the rarest antiquities of the world. The original statue from 2nd century AD is available in Lahore Museum, Pakistan.

A replica depicting the visit of the Buddha to a Brahman's hermitage is at the museum. Siddhartha was facing problems in attaining the enlightenment. He, therefore, decided to take advice of the Brahmans. He consulted the first one, but was not satisfied.

He consulted the second one who also could not solve his problem. He realized that the best way to find the solution was in his own way, without getting into consultation with anyone.

The Buddha displayed his miraculous powers at Sarasvati before king Prasenajit in a specially built pavilion to convert six heretical teachers of Rajgir.

Another replica is at the museum depicting the passing away of the Buddha.

The museum also includes replicas depicting the pyre of the Buddha (the cremation) and important places of Siddhartha's life.