Buddhism has been the strongest tie between the two Theravada countries ever since the Sri Lankan king Parakammabahu revised the dhammavinaya in the 18th century BE [12th c. AD.]  His fame for the wonderful work he sponsored spread to Thailand, among other Buddhist countries.  He was the king who had himself depicted in a huge block of stone as holding the Visuddhimagga.  During the Sukhothai period the Thai kings invited bhikkhus from Lanka as well as sent bhikkhus to study in Ceylon and established the  the teachings of the 'Lankavongse' or the Singhalese Theravada, which flourished ever since in Thailand.  The first city where Lankavongse Theravada was established was in Nakorn Sritamaraj, from which the Kings of Sukhothai invited erudite bhikkhus to establish the teachings in the capital city.  Buddhism had arrived in Thai territories long before that, according to the Tipitaka, Asoka during the third century of the Buddhist Era [circa 250 BC] had sent arahant theras to the area also and established the sasana.  However the teachings had been on the decline until King Parakammabahu took up  the cause to revise it.
 

** The restored Tipitaka building on the river bank.*

However, by the 23rd c. BE [18th c. AD] Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka had died down from all the wars and foreign rulers, some of whom forbade ordinations until there were no longer enough bhikkhus to perform any more ordinations.  Sri Vijaya the king of Sri Lanka then sent some envoys to ask the king of Siam to help in May 2294 BE [1751].  The next year  the Siamese king sent a party of bhikkhus with the venerable Upali at  their head to help, but their ship was wrecked.

King Boromakot organized another voyage and the Venerable Upali, who survived the accident the year before, left Ayutthaya, the Thai capital at the time, with another group of bhikkhus, and this time they reached Sri Lanka on Vesak Day 2296 BE [1753].  The venerable Upali and the accompanying bhikkhus not only performed over three thousand ordinations but also reestablished the Theravada teachings as well as reformed some traditions, including the Perera procession [to replace of the Hindu gods paraded in the capital city that was practiced when he arrived].  Prior to that the Sacred Tooth Relics were kept for private monarchic worship by the Kings of Ceylon who would move the relics only when they moved the capital city.  To this day Thais, as 'descendants of the venerable Upali Thera', are granted special privileges to worship the relics upstairs in the upper chambers while all others, including most Sri Lankans, worship only at the silver doors of the relic tower.
 
 

The bell, a part of gifts from Sri Lankans who also sent funds to help restore the building that houses the Tipitaka  at the edge of the river and the bell tower next to it, was carried ashore orned with garlands of flowers and set down in the ceremonial area, where the ministers of Srilanka and Thai both laid a hand on the bell to represent the beautiful dana.

To celebrate the establishment of the Syamopali Mahanikaya in Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankans had donated funds to restore the temple where the Venerable Upali resided before he left for Sri Lanka, Wat Dhammaram, which has since fallen into ruin.  Ayutthaya was abandoned in favor of Bangkok as capital about 30 years after the Venerable left for Sri Lanka.  The small wat didn't seem to have been burnt during the wars with the Burmese, who had burnt many temples in order to melt the Buddha images into gold ingots.
 
 

The Sri Lankan government had invited prominent Thai government officials to Sri Lanka to celebrate together this two and a half century anniversary, although the Thai prime minister declined because of the tropical monsoon that threatened.  The Thais did send several representatives who bore gifts of two golden Buddha images of the three specially sculpted for the occasion to represent Thailand's great appreaciation for the great work of the Sri Lankans to whom we owe the Lankavongse Theravada that has since flourished over the centuries until the Thais were able to bring back to its country of origin on another Vesak Day precisely two and a half centuries ago.

Three copies of this massive golden image over three feet tall were cast, this one will be kept at Wat Dhammaram, while two have been sent to Sri Lanka as Thailand's gift on this auspicious occasion.