When we talk of cultural renaissance and the revival of Indic religions in India, Buddhism plays a vital role. For decades, India didn’t play politics around Buddhism, as it’s not in our culture to appropriate the teachings of this land – but for the last few years China, with the help of Pakistan has been building a narrative calling Buddhism exclusively its own, trying to reduce the role of India –the rightful place of its origin, evolution, and preservation. It was only under PM Modi’s leadership, that the Bodhgaya Declaration happened in 2015, followed by a series of conclaves and ministry grants that have all helped towards Buddhist revival and reclamation by Bharat. Some of the steps taken in this direction:
Bodhgaya Declaration of 2015
Bodh Gaya, where Siddhartha became Buddha, is considered a sacred seat of enlightenment by Buddhists all over the world. This declaration gave Bodh Gaya the rightful recognition of being a spiritual destination and tying Hindu-Buddhist civilizations with a special responsibility to work for conflict resolution and environment preservation by following the philosophical principles common to Hinduism and Buddhism, based on the ancient idea of Dhamma as in Pali and Dharma as in Sanskrit. Hindu civilisational and spiritual institutions have worked alongside Buddhist institutions since then through conclaves, workshops, and exhibitions, for this noble task. the revival of eight Buddhist sites
The development of the Buddhist circuit: that follows the steps of Buddha from Nepal includes eight Buddhist sites Bodhgaya, Vaishali, Rajgir, Shrawasti, Sarnath, Sankissa, Kushinagar, Lambini. Besides infrastructural support and a strong cultural push by the Tourism Ministry, The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) also announced a few days ago, a ‘Bodhgaya Circuit’ tour package under the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ initiatives. The 5-day and 4 nights tour will cover Rajgir, Bodh Gaya, and Nalanda in Bihar. The journey will start from Howrah in West Bengal every Friday. Passengers can board a train from Howrah, Bandel Jn, Barddhaman, Bolpur Santiniketan, Sainthia, Rampur Hat, Pakur, Sahibganj jn., Jamalpur, Kiul.
What is the Buddhist Circuit
The Buddhist Circuit project was announced by the central government in 2016. Since then, Rs 343 crore has been sanctioned for the project under various schemes. The Buddhist circuit is a route that follows the footsteps of Buddha from Lumbini in Nepal where he was born, through Bihar in India where he attained enlightenment, to Sarnath and Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh in India, where he gave his first teachings and later died. Under the Ministry of Tourism’s flagship scheme Swadesh Darshan, multiple projects have been undertaken in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. In Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the plan is to further develop the sites of Bodh Gaya, Nalanda, Rajgir, Viashali, Sarnath, Shravasti, Kushinagar, Kaushambi, Sankisa and Kapilavastu. These sites currently receive approximately six per cent of nationwide foreign tourist arrivals, with a focus on Bodh Gaya and Sarnath.
Passengers can deboard at Kiul, Asansol, Barddhaman, and Howrah.
Even down south, intending to boost tourism in the Buddhist circuit of Andhra Pradesh, the State Government has developed the Dhyana Buddha Vanam in Amravati. The Vanam has been built under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme to engage international tourists who visit Buddhist sites in India.
Global Buddhist Summit
Speaking at the inaugural session of the recently held Global Buddhist Summit in the capital, PM Modi stressed the adoption of Buddhist consciousness as the only way to resolve major global problems. His call comes at a time when the world is confronting the threat of international terrorism based on divisive ideologies which have impacted several nations. “It is the need of the hour that the priority of every person and nation should be the interest of the world along with the interest of the country”, the Prime Minister remarked. “The path of Buddha is the path of the future and the path of sustainability. Had the world followed Buddha’s teachings, it would not have faced the problem of climate change.” He stressed that in the last nine years, India has been developing Buddhist circuits in India and Nepal. The India International Centre of Buddhist Heritage and Culture is being set up in Lumbini in collaboration with the New Delhi-based International Buddhist Confederation (IBC).
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