The Devnimori Relics of Lord Buddha, brought to Sri Lanka on February 04, 2026, departed for India on February 11, 2026, after the successful conclusion of the Exposition at the Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo. The Relics were accompanied by the Governor of Madhya Pradesh Mangubhai C. Patel, and Deputy Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Chowna Mein, on their return journey.

At the ceremonial departure, at the Bandaranaike International Airport, Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs (Dr.) Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, Deputy Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Gamagedara Dissanayake, and High Commissioner of India Santosh Jha, were present to see off the Buddha Relics.

IHC spokesperson: ” During the visit, the delegation led by Governor of Madhya Pradesh, and Deputy Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh met Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath, Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody, and Governor of North Western Province Tissa Kumarasiri Warnasuriya. In addition, the dignitaries interacted with members of the Indian-origin community in Sri Lanka.

The Exposition was inaugurated by President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka from the Sri Lankan side, and Governor of Gujarat Acharya Devvrat, and Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat Harsh Sanghavi from the Indian side, in the presence of the Chief Incumbent of the Gangaramaya Temple Ven. Dr. Kirinde Assaji Thera at the Gangaramaya Temple, Colombo, on February 04, 2026. The week-long Exposition saw over a million devotees paying their respects. Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya and several Cabinet Ministers, as well as the Speaker, the Leader of Opposition, former Presidents and numerous other Members of Parliament paid their respects during the course of the Exposition.

The Exposition marked the first public veneration of these Holy Relics outside of India. Complementing the exposition, two exhibitions titled “Unearthing the Sacred Piprahwa” and “Sacred Relic and Cultural Engagement of Contemporary India” were also held to showcase the shared Buddhist heritage of India and Sri Lanka.

The Exposition was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his State Visit to Sri Lanka in April 2025. The Exposition further reinforced the spiritual and cultural linkages between the two civilizational partners. India remains committed to deepening the linkages between both countries through continued bilateral initiatives and regular exchanges between the monastic and scholarly communities.”

Action was taken on Monday (9) to drain rainwater from the Chemmani mass graves as preparations continued for the next phase of excavation, Tamil Guardian has reported.

During the first and second phases of excavation at Chemmani, a total of 240 sets of human skeletal remains were identified. Of these, 239 sets have so far been exhumed under court supervision.

Although funds had already been allocated and preliminary arrangements were in place to begin the third phase of excavation, persistent heavy rainfall, in Jaffna, since November last year, resulted in rainwater stagnating within the burial site, bringing the process to a halt.

In response, steps were taken on Monday to remove the accumulated water with the assistance of the Nallur Pradeshiya Sabha. However, despite the drainage, the site remains heavily waterlogged and muddy, making immediate excavation unsafe, Tamil Guardian reported.

As a result, it has been decided that a determination on when the next phase of excavation can commence will be made on 16 March, when the case is due to be taken up again. The matter has been adjourned to that date.

The drainage operation was inspected on site by a team that included Jaffna Magistrate S. Lenin Kumar, Judicial Medical Officer Sellaiyah Pranavan, and Attorneys-at-Law Niranjan and G. Rajitha.

Tamil Guardian disclosed that funds allocated last year by the Ministry of Justice for the third phase of excavation have lapsed and been returned, as the work could not proceed within the allocated timeframe. As a result, a fresh budget proposal must now be submitted for the current year in order to secure the necessary funding.

The Judicial Medical Officer has taken steps to submit a new cost estimate to the court, so that the excavation process can resume once conditions at the site permit.

Himal Southasian Editor Roman Gautam has said that despite many journalists’ best intentions to foster regional cooperation, structural constraints within which South Asian media operates have significantly undermined prospects for regional amity. While acknowledging continued journalistic intent across the region, some which have managed to prevail, he identified financial dependence, political subordination, and the growing gap between intent and outcome as central challenges facing regional media.

Gautam made these observations when he addressed the RCSS Strategic Dialogue – 3 on the theme “Where does the media stand in connecting (or dividing) Southasia?”, on 2 February 2026 at the Board Room of the RCSS in Colombo. Moderated by the Executive Director of the RCSS Amb. (Retd.) Ravinatha Aryasinha, it brought together serving and retired senior public servants, diplomats, academics, and civil society representatives, and journalists, with additional participation via Zoom of members of the recently formed ‘RCSS Alumni Network’ spread across the globe. ED Aryasinha highlighted the longstanding common vision shared between Himal Southasian founded in 1987 and the RCSS founded in 1992, at a time there were real possibilities for South Asian regionalism and collaboration. He noted that despite the turbulence over the years, both Himal Southasian and the RCSS retained its ‘South Asian Regional Spirit’ enabling scholars and writers in South Asian, and also focussing on South Asia to collaborate on issues of shared concern, retaining a foundation of trust and cross-border engagement.

Gautam opened his remarks by acknowledging the historical role of journalists in South Asian regionalism, noting that journalists have always been involved in informing regional populations about each other and, particularly during the heyday of track-two diplomacy, actively working toward reconciliation across borders. However, he questioned whether fostering state-to-state connections should be the journalists’ role and responsibility, even through track-two channels. More critically, despite continued intent among many journalists across initiatives in the region, a realistic assessment shows severe limitations in fostering genuine regional spirit. The answer, he emphasized, lies in examining the structures within which journalists work today, rather than questioning their motivations or commitment.

He presented cases from recent upheavals in Nepal and Bangladesh to illustrate how media coverage served domestic political interests at the cost of regional goodwill. In each case, stray opinions voiced by a few participants were seized upon and fed to audiences in sensational fashion, with no effort to canvass broader opinion or extensively research issues. Selective coverage that pandered to domestic political interests ignored ground realities and broader contexts. Gautam traced these patterns as pandering to structural realities: reliance on government advertising, corporate capture creating vulnerabilities to state pressure, and ideological alignment. The need for financial survival prompted media to subscribe to official narratives, as failure to abide by the official line could spell financial ruin. Gautam who characterized social media as enabling understanding but also extremism, suggested regional platforms could help bring journalists together, and acknowledged the dire situation faced by persecuted journalists, with no real support mechanisms.

Gautam also discussed SAARC’s past contributions and constraints. Though designed to promote regional collaboration, the organisation’s impact has been limited by political friction, especially between India and Pakistan. However, he noted that programs such as RCSS’s workshops and fellowships prove that non-governmental actors, particularly journalists, can facilitate mutual understanding across borders, even if on a smaller scale. He underscored that such modest initiatives are crucial for building dialogue and knowledge-sharing traditions in South Asia.

During the discussion, participants explored social media’s impact, SAARC revitalization, generational shifts in media consumption, press freedom, disinformation and journalist persecution. Participants debated whose ‘South Asia’ is being discussed, with Gautam emphasizing it as a common cause built on synergies rather than belonging to any single conception. The power-based nature of the current global order was highlighted, with observations that even brave journalists find themselves let down by institutions, and that both external and internal factors limit media’s role in regionalism.

A principal question raised was whether this critique referred to the totality of media or to specific divisive elements. Gautam clarified that all media is not a monolithic and that independent journalists continue working outside these structures across the region, some successfully. He highlighted the efforts being made by Himal Southasian and others to preserve that space. However, an overall point made was that as a result of these structural constraints and negative media practices, South Asian regionalism has suffered badly. He acknowledged that as matters stand currently, there is a very real information gap about South Asian realities among South Asian publics. This was a huge problem that needs to be managed reflectively, and the region’s more enlightened media could play a constructive role in taking up this challenge.