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Duruthu Poya Day Celebration in Kandy. – By Dr harold Gunatillake On January 25th this year, Sri Lanka celebrated the Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day. This festival falls on the first full moon in January, commemorating Gautama Buddha’s first visit to Sri Lanka. It is an important religious and historical event in Sri Lanka’s calendar, as it occurred in the ninth month after the Buddha attained Enlightenment. During his visit, the Buddha travelled to Mahiyanganaya in the Uva Province of Sri Lanka, where he gave sermons to two warring tribes to end their conflicts. The tribes listened to his teachings and stopped fighting with each other, and instead began to treat each other with respect. The local God, Sumana Saman, was impressed by the Buddha’s teachings and invited him to leave his sacred footprint on the peak of Samanala Mountain, which is now known as Adam’s Peak. To this day, ...