"Vesak" full-moon day has been recognized by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 54/115 of 1999 as an international day of observance. Arrangements are underway for the annual UN Vesak celebrations to be held in a grand scale in Sri Lanka this year.The "Vesak" season begins on the full-moon day of May with brightly lit Pandols, called "thorana", erected mainly in the cities and scattered in the public places island-wide Sri Lanka. The message given by this story to the humanity is that 'Any untamable could be tamed by compassion'.This is a 40 feet high artwork lit up with 15,000 bulbs, considered the first ever "thorana" (Pandol) erected in New Delhi, India. It is coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Sri Lanka as the Chief Guest at the United Nations Vesak Day Celebrations in Colombo from 11-12 May 2017.The significance of this event lies with its unique nature and the historic relevance that it entails which marks as an important milestone for India Sri Lanka bilateral relations based on Buddhism. It will further rejuvenate the legacy of spiritual connectivity that has existed between Sri Lanka and India over many millennia.

Source: Economic Times May 11, 2017 18:11 UTC