President Mahinda Rajapaksa and First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa Sunday evening held a special Buddhist ritual at the Temple Trees to offer blessings to the Japanese people who lost their lives in the recent earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan.

Head of the Vidyalankara Pirivena, Most Venerable Welimitiyawe Kusaladhamma Nayaka Thera conducted the Buddha Pooja to invoke blessings with the participation of a large gathering of Buddhist monks.

Sri Lanka has launched a series of Buddhist rituals to bless the victims of the earthquake and the tsunami.

The Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Kunio Takahashi, several ministers and many Japanese citizens in Sri Lanka, as well as a large number of foreign nationals and Sri Lankans were also present at this religious event.

Sri Lanka offered a cash contribution of USD one million and USD 65,000 worth tea to help the tsunami affected.