Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh's Buddhist Circuit
- 24 May 2024
- 3 min read
Why in News?
The Buddhist circuit at Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh attracted many pilgrims from around the globe for Buddha Purnima, a significant festival celebrated by Buddhist every year on 23rd May 2024.
Key Points
- The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board (MPTB) is developing a Buddhist circuit that will connect Sanchi and other destinations in the state with Bodhgaya and Sarnath, two major centers of Buddhism of the country.
- The aim is to educate Buddhist pilgrims visiting these places about the Buddhist heritage destinations in MP.
- Under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, the MPTB has spent Rs 70 crore to develop destinations like Sachi, Mandsaur, Dhar, Satna, Rewa, Satdhara, Sonari, Murel Khurd and Gyaraspur.
- The project includes the enhancement of Marshall House, the foothill, approach roads, the hilltop, light and sound show, tourist facilitation center in Sanchi, landscaping around Chaitanya Giri Vihar, the development and beautification of Kanak Sagar Lake located at the base of Sanchi, a Buddhist theme park, beautification of Square Road Junction, improvement of the path from the railway station to the Stupa foothill, and the construction of meditation kiosk and complex in Satdhara, Sonari,Murel Khurda, and Gyaraspur near Sanchi.
Buddha Purnima
- Buddha Purnima also known as Vesak, commemorates the birth of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who later became known as Gautama Buddha and founded Buddhism.
- Celebrated primarily in South, Southeast, and East Asia, it falls on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Vaisakha, typically in April or May.
- It is considered a 'triple-blessed day' as it marks Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and Maha Parnirvana. It has been recognised by the United Nations as the ‘UN Day of Vesak’ since 1999.
Swadesh Darshan Scheme
- It was launched in 2014-15 for integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits — Buddhist Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Desert Circuit, Eco Circuit, Heritage Circuit, Northeast Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Sufi Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Ramayana Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Tirthankar Circuit, Wildlife Circuit and Tribal Circuit.
- It is 100% centrally funded and efforts are made to achieve convergence with other schemes of Central and State Governments and also to leverage the voluntary funding available for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of Central Public Sector Undertakings and Corporate Sector.
