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As India and South Korea are celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year, the Indian Embassy in Seoul in collaboration with the Gaya Culture Promotion Foundation, South Korea organised an event to mark the occasion.
The two countries also share long historic links beginning with one of the first contacts that both countries established through Buddhism. The event was held on Friday (September 22) in South Korea. During the occasion, the International Buddhist Confederation, along with the foreign ministry of Korea and the Gimhae city government, released a book titled 'Gaya Buddhism: Unlatching the Gate, the official press release read. "Amb @KumarAmitMEA launches English ed. of Monk Domyeongs book,Gaya Buddhism-Unlatching the Gate, tracing arrival of #Buddhism in 1st century AD w/Princess Suriratna/Queen Heo Hwangok of #Ayodhya & its spread in Korea. Rep. Min Hongchul & senior Buddhist Monks joined the event," Indian Embassy in Seoul posted on X. According to the release, the book, written by Monk Domyeong, theorizes that Buddhism arrived in Korea from India by sea through Princess Suriratna of Ayodhya, who reached the Korean Gaya kingdom in 48 A.D. As per the Korean classic historical text Samgukyusa, Princess Suriratna married King Kim-Suro, the legendary founder of the Gaya Kingdom, and became Queen Heo Hwang-ok. The princess and her brother are said to have brought a Buddhist pagoda with them, the Pasa Stone Pagoda, which now stands next to what is believed to be the tomb of Queen Heo in Gimhae. Several venerated and venerable monks, the Indian ambassador to Korea Shri Amit Kumar, Korean government representatives, and several eminent academics and intellectuals attended the occasion. On this occasion, a message from the IBC Director General was broadcast. (ANI)
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