It was in 1951, at the age of 38 that Ven. Hedigalle Pannatissa Thero visited India at the request of Devapriya Valisingha on behalf of Mahabodhi Society of Sri Lanka, to propagate Buddhism in India. He vowed to devote the rest of his life to the cause of the Dhamma and missionary wiork. While rendering his services at Buddha Gaya and Calcutta, he was entrusted with a difficult task to converting backward Sanchi into a sacred place. Thanks to the efforts of Ven. Thero, Sanchi today a place of worship of Buddhist pilgrims of the world. He converted thick jungle into a full- fledged township. Visitors to this historic place today can see for themselves the vast improvements carried out by Ven. Pannatissa, who was the first Dhammaduta from Sri Lanka to go to Sanchi.