On the initiative of the National Heritage and Cultural Affairs Ministry the Sri Pada has been proclaimed as a world heritage by the UNESCO World Heritage committee at its 34th session in Brasilia held on July 30.
The committee was held under the chairmanship of Joao Luiz da Silva Ferreira.
National Heritage and Cultural Affairs Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi said this is a great honour to all Sri Lankans and to her as the National Heritage and Cultural Affairs Minister. From ancient times the people of this country venerated the Sri Pada peak.
The place is very important as it holds a great historical, archaeological, and cultural tale behind it. From The Buddha’s period and along with the missionary work of Arahath Mahinda Thera the Sri Pada has been a place of pilgrimage to the people.
To achieve the development targets of the country Sri Pada being made a world heritage is very important. The UNESCO decision is very important when developing the tourism/industry and building the national economy, the Minister said.
Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kandy, Sigiriya rock fortress, Dambulla rock temple, Galle Dutch fort and Sinharaja rain forest have been named as World Heritage sites under the International Convention on Protection of World Culture and Environmental Heritage which was passed by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO.
Source: Daily News [August 02, 2010]