President Pratibha Patil today dedicated the first Indian-styled Buddhist temple in China, situated in the famous White Horse temple complex here, to the people of this country, describing it as a "testimony" of the friendship between the two neighbours.
Patil, who reached this historical capital of China from Beijing this morning, inaugurated the temple, which is a fusion of ancient principles of design with modern technological skills.
The temple bridges 2000 years of history and adds a significant chapter to Sino-India cultural ties.
Patil was received by Henan province governor Guo Gengmao, chief abbot of the White Horse temple Yen Li and other senior officials.
"Luoyang is widely considered to be a cradle of the Chinese civilisation.... Historically it (the White Horse temple) has the unique distinction of symbolising an intermingling of Indian and Chinese cultures," the president said addressing the monks and others present at the temple complex.
"I am confident that the Indian-styled temple will also be perceived by generations to come as a testimony of our friendship," she said during her nearly 40-minute visit to the shrine.
Patil also thanked the designer and architects of the Indian-styled temple -- Akshaya Jain, Raka Chakravarty and Dilip Kumar Nag.
The president acknowledged this Chinese province's efforts in realising the monument of the Sino-India friendship. She hoped that the temple will strengthen people-to-people contacts between the two countries.
In the temple's visitors book, Patil wrote that the ancient White Horse temple at Loyang embodied the close civilisational ties between India and China.
"My visit here has been a special experience and it has been a privilege to dedicate the Indian-styled Buddhist temple as a gift from people of India to friendly people of China," she wrote.
The White Horse Buddhist temple was built in 68 AD when Buddhism was introduced in China by Chinese Monk Xuanzan after a 17-year-long voyage.
