The grand celebrations of the 2600th anniversary of Buddhism are underway Tuesday in the Buddhist majority island — Sri Lanka.

Tuesday also marks the Buddhist holy day, or the poya day in May which signifies the birth, enlightenment and the demise of the Buddha, known as the Wesak day.

The 2600th anniversary since the attainment of the Buddhahood began with the sounding of the temple bells between 5:45 to 6 a.m local time.

The devotees clad in white both male and female indulged in a day of religious activity which includes meditation.

An official celebration campaign took place with the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Kottegoda in the southern town of Matara, 160 kms south of the capital city, with the participation of some 10,000 devotees.

The venerable Udagama Buddharakkitha, a leading monk in the central town of Kandy said carrying forward Buddhist teachings and dedicating one to the principles of Buddhism was the most important thing to do on the Wesak day.

The island’s central bank issued two coins of denominations of rupees 1,000 and rupees 10 to mark the anniversary.

The capital Colombo has seen many colorful decorations. The feature is over 1,000 free food stalls known as ‘Dansala’ in the city. Homes are decorated with colorfully lit lanterns and small lamps made out of clay filled with coconut oil.

All temples get massive crowds visiting them to listen to sermons and meditation.

Prisoners in jail for not so serious offenses granted amnesties to return to their families. People free cattle from slaughter as a meritorious act of giving one life from throes of death.

A street here was renamed the Buddhist anniversary road where a brand new library and information center of Buddhist teachings was declared open by President Rajapaksa.