Ministry clarifies Indian religious leader’s Sri Lanka visit was in February

Daily Mirror and Newswire report that Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism clarified that social media posts concern Mahamandaleshwar Swami Kailashanand Giri Ji’s visit on February 23, 2026, rather than a current trip. Newswire says the ministry issued its clarification on the 22nd, without specifying the month in its report.

Newswire reports that Giri and a delegation came to Sri Lanka following an invitation from the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau. The group travelled to religious and historical locations around the country, among them notable Shiva temples.

Newswire says the ministry described promoting Sri Lanka’s religious and cultural attractions, including the Ramayana Trail, to Indian devotees and tourists as a central purpose of the trip. The ministry also linked such efforts to tourism development and closer religious and cultural connections with India; India remains Sri Lanka’s biggest source of tourist arrivals, according to Newswire.

Newswire reports that the ministry cautioned against treating the earlier visit as a present-day event and asked the public to take account of the posts’ original timing and context. The reports provide no details of further plans.

Written automatically by AI from the outlets’ own reports, and not reviewed by an editor. It can be wrong — the original report is the authority.