PM Modi is expected to meet senior Sri Lankan officials and political leaders, and the two leaders will travel to Anuradhapura for the inauguration of various development projects funded by India. This will be PM Modi’s first visit to Sri Lanka since 2019
In a historic gesture, Sri Lanka will refer to India as the ‘Republic of Bharat’ on commemorative plaques unveiled during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit, media reports indicated on Thursday.
The plaques will mark three India-assisted projects: the groundbreaking of the Sampur solar energy project, the opening of a cold storage complex in Dambulla, and the commissioning of 5,000 rooftop solar panels at places of religious worship across Sri Lanka. While the plaques will use the term ‘Bharat,’ Sri Lankan authorities will continue using ‘India’ in official communications, according to a report by the Daily Mirror.
This move aligns with the Indian government’s increasing use of ‘Bharat’ in official communications, particularly since the G20 summit in 2023, where invitations referred to India as ‘Bharat,’ a name rooted in ancient Indian texts. The shift towards ‘Bharat’ was also evident during Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s visit to India in December 2024, when India referred to President Droupadi Murmu as the “President of Bharat.”
Prime Minister Modi, currently attending the BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand, is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka from April 4–6 at the invitation of President Dissanayake. During the visit, the two leaders will review the progress of cooperation outlined in the Joint Vision for ‘Fostering Partnerships for a Shared Future,’ which was agreed upon during Dissanayake’s visit to India last December.
PM Modi is expected to meet senior Sri Lankan officials and political leaders, and the two leaders will travel to Anuradhapura for the inauguration of various development projects funded by India. This will be PM Modi’s first visit to Sri Lanka since 2019.
The visit is part of ongoing high-level exchanges between India and Sri Lanka, aimed at strengthening their deep civilizational and cultural ties and further enhancing their multifaceted partnership.
The Ministry of External Affairs highlighted that India and Sri Lanka share a strong cultural and historical bond, and this visit will provide further momentum in their bilateral relations.
