Laos releases world’s first postage stamp featuring Lord Rama of Ayodhya

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, July 27

Laos, a Southeast Asian country, has released a special stamp set that includes a stamp on Lord Rama and it is the world’s first stamp depicting ‘Ram Lalla of Ayodhya’.

This was part of the special commemorative postage stamp set by Laos showcasing its deep civilizational connect with India.

It was unveiled jointly by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his counterpart Saleumxay Kommasith in Laos on Saturday.

The stamp set consisted of two stamps, and the second stamp depicted Lord Buddha of the Luang Prabang city, the ancient capital of Laos.

Ties of Buddhism have bound India and Laos together for millennia. Ramayana (in Laos, it is called Ramakien or Story of Phra Lak Phra Ram) is revered in Laos like in India, and is performed on auspicious occasions. The theme of the stamp set is “celebrating shared cultural heritage of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) and India”.

Jaishankar is visiting Vientiane for ASEAN-India Post Ministerial Conference (PMC), EAS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) that Lao PDR is hosting in Vientiane as ASEAN Chair for 2024.

From Laos, Jaishankar will proceed for Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Japan.