Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan bats for Odisha’s inclusion in Buddhist Circuit

BHUBANESWAR:

Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan

on Sunday wrote to his counterpart in the culture ministry, G Kishan Reddy, requesting him to include Odisha in the proposed

Buddhist Circuit

under the Centre’s Swadesh Darshan scheme. It aims to promote, develop and harness the potential of tourism in the country.

“It is unfortunate that Odisha, even with its rich Buddhist tradition and shrines, has neither been included in the Buddhist Circuit nor has any project under the Swadesh Darshan scheme been allocated to Buddhist shrines in the state,” Pradhan wrote.

Under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, the tourism ministry has sanctioned five projects worth Rs 325.53 crore for the development of Budhist Circuits in MP, UP, Gujarat, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.

Highlighting the Buddhist heritage of Odisha, Pradhan wrote that during the Bhaumakara dynasty rule from the 8th to 10th century AD, Buddhism was considered as a state religion here. It is believed that the first disciples of

Lord Buddha

, Tapasu and Bhallika, hailed from the modern-day city of Jajpur. Though Buddhism entered Odisha long before the Kalinga War, it spread under the patronage of Emperor Ashoka, he added.


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