Our Beloved Bhagawan has always emphasized on the need to honor all religions, as each of them is a pathway to reach God. In a humble attempt to uphold this divine teaching and to instill "Unity in Diversity" in the minds of the Sai YAs at large, a *National Young Adults pilgrimage to the Holy city of Anuradhapura* was organized by the SSSIO - SL with the blessings of our most beloved Bhagawan.
This pilgrimage was undertaken between _*3rd - 5th March 2023*_ and saw the participation of *146 Young adults* from all regions across Sri Lanka, who were also accompanied by senior devotees and office bearers.
The Holy city is considered a World Heritage Site famous for its well-preserved ruins of the ancient Sinhalese civilization, while it is also regarded as the cradle of the Hydraulic Sinhalese civilization, Theravada Buddhism, and the longest-serving ancient capital of Sri Lanka that has survived for 1500 years.
During the pilgrimage, the pilgrims, both young and elderly had the opportunity to visit and learn major Buddhist pilgrimage sites and ruins of many ancient Buddhist temples, including the famous Ruwanwelisaya and the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, the oldest still-living, documented, planted tree in the world and that which is believed to have originally been a branch of the sacred fig tree at Bodh Gaya (Bihar, India), under which Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment.
Besides them all, other places of significant importance in the Sri Lankan history such as the Nachchaduwa Tank, Vessagiri Ancient forest monastery, Abhayagiri Dagoba, the Samadhi Buddha statue and the historical Mihintale Buddhist temple, where the presence of Buddhism in Sri Lanka is believed to have been inaugurated were also visited by the pilgrims. It was indeed heartwarming to see all Young Adults participate with great enthusiasm throughout this spiritual journey while displaying utmost reverence for these holy sites by conducting themselves in a manner that upholds Bhagawan's teaching of mutual respect for other religions.
