NEW DELHI: On the inaugural day of his visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was presented a Daruma doll, considered auspicious and a good luck charm in Japanese culture. The Daruma has an Indian connection. “Takasaki City in Gunma is the birthplace of the famous Daruma dolls. The Daruma tradition in Japan is based on the legacy of Bodhidharma, an Indian monk from Kancheepuram, known in Japan as Daruma Daishi, who is said to have travelled here over a thousand years ago,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.In a post on X, PM Modi said, “It was an honour to meet Rev. Seishi Hirose, chief priest of Shorinzan Daruma -Ji Temple in Takasaki – Gunma. My gratitude to him for presenting a Daruma doll. Daruma is considered to be an important cultural symbol in Japan and also has a connect with India. It is influenced by Bodhidharma, a noted monk.” The PMO said that this “special gesture reaffirms the close civilizational and spiritual ties between India and Japan”.The Daruma is an iconic cultural symbol and souvenir of Japan that is modelled after Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism. These dolls are known as a symbol of perseverance and good luck, often used to represent setting and achieving goals. The tradition involves filling in one eye when a goal is set and the other eye when the goal is achieved. It also symbolises the virtue of never giving up. Its rounded bottom makes it pop back up when tipped over, like the saying, “Fall seven times, stand up eight.“It is believed that Bodhidharma meditated for nine years continuously, facing a wall, with his limbs folded. That is why the Drauma doll has a peculiar rounded shape with no limbs and no eyes.New Delhi: On the inaugural day of his visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was presented a Daruma doll, considered auspicious and a good luck charm in Japanese culture. The Daruma has an Indian connection. “Takasaki City in Gunma is the birthplace of the famous Daruma dolls. The Daruma tradition in Japan is based on the legacy of Bodhidharma, an Indian monk from Kancheepuram, known in Japan as Daruma Daishi, who is said to have travelled here over a thousand years ago,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.In a post on X, PM Modi said, “It was an honour to meet Rev. Seishi Hirose, chief priest of Shorinzan Daruma -Ji Temple in Takasaki – Gunma. My gratitude to him for presenting a Daruma doll. Daruma is considered to be an important cultural symbol in Japan and also has a connect with India. It is influenced by Bodhidharma, a noted monk.” The PMO said that this “special gesture reaffirms the close civilizational and spiritual ties between India and Japan”.The Daruma is an iconic cultural symbol and souvenir of Japan that is modelled after Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism. These dolls are known as a symbol of perseverance and good luck, often used to represent setting and achieving goals. The tradition involves filling in one eye when a goal is set and the other eye when the goal is achieved. It also symbolises the virtue of never giving up. Its rounded bottom makes it pop back up when tipped over, like the saying, “Fall seven times, stand up eight.“It is believed that Bodhidharma meditated for nine years continuously, facing a wall, with his limbs folded. That is why the Drauma doll has a peculiar rounded shape with no limbs and no eyes.