Eminent Members of IBC address International Buddhist Conclave in Bodhgaya, Bihar, India India is blessed with a rich Buddhist Heritage and with several important sites associated with the life of Lord Buddha, especially in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. With a view to showcasing and promoting Buddhist heritage and pilgrimage sites of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of Inda organized the 4th International Buddhist Conclave in Bodhgaya and Sarnath, in collaboration with the two State Governments from the 26th to 28th September 2014. It was an honour for the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) to have been asked by the Ministry of Tourism to nominate three key speakers for the two panel discussion sessions at the Conclave. The three Speakers who gave excellent presentations were Datuk Seri Dr Victor Wee, former Secretary General, Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia and Chairman, United Nations World Tourism Organizations, Programme Committee., Mr. Tsutomu Sato, Executive Advisor of Japan India Tourism Promotion Committee in the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) and Dr. Praneeth Abhayasundere, Deputy President of the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress and Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Jayawardenapura, Sri Lanka The event, a grand success, saw participation by nearly 300 International and domestic tour operators, travel writers, journalists, opinion makers, scholars, learned monks and other stakeholders who shared experiences and also held business meetings. Among them were about 120 international delegates from 32 countries. To enlarge the canvas for exposure to the ancient legacy of Buddhist heritage found all over India, 16 state governments had put up elaborate stalls exhibiting the various sites found in their respective regions in India. In addition to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the State Governments participating in the Conclave included those of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana and West Bengal. The highlights of the Conclave were the visit to, and prayer at, the Mahabodhi Temple, as well as visits to the Pragbodhi Caves, historic Nalanda site, Rajgir and later to Sarnath and Varanasi. A spectacular cultural show of fusion dances, performed to the chanting of around 50 child-monks, against the backdrop of a giant statue of Lord Buddha in a meditative posture in the midst of the snow-covered Mount Everest, enthralled the audience on the opening day. The grand event was inaugurated by the Minister of State for Tourism and Culture, Government of India, and was attended by the Chief Minister of Bihar, the Minister of Tourism of Bihar, the Tourism Secretary, Government of India and the Principal Secretary, Tourism of Bihar. The event gave the participants an opportunity to interact with overseas visitors, and promote, package and sell pilgrimage itineraries of the Buddhist sites in the country to them. Previously, the International Buddhist Conclaves had been organized in New Delhi and Bodhgaya (February 2004); Nalanda and Bodhgaya (February 2010) and Varanasi and Bodhgaya (September 2012). The International Buddhist Conclave is an initiative by India, the land of origin of the Buddha dharma, to showcase its commitment to improving the experience of pilgrims as well as tourists who wish to savour the essence of Buddhist heritage, at the numerous sacred Buddhist sites of the country, many of which bear connection to Buddha himself.
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 12:01:39 +0000
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