Buddhavanam project special officer Mallepalli Laxmaiah has requested the Central government to constitute a National Buddhist Heritage Board for preservation, conservation, publication and dissemination of Buddhist heritage available in various forms across the country.
In a letter addressed to Union Culture and Tourism Minister G. Kishan Reddy, Mr. Laxmaiah said there were hundreds of Buddhist sites and monuments dotting many States, indicating the country’s Buddhist legacy. To strengthen its outreach to Buddhist population within and outside the country’s borders, there was a strong need to document the Buddhist sites, monuments, literature and culture by creating a national Buddhist heritage board.
The board of directors for the proposed national level body could be drawn from reputed Buddhist monks, heads of Buddhist institutions, monasteries, universities, archaeologists, historians and Ambedkarite scholars and others. According to him, there were 724 explored sites across the country, of which, 392, including 10 in the State, were excavated and preserved.
He stressed the need for new strategies for the growth of tourism, the largest employer after agriculture, for positioning the country as the most tourist-friendly country highlighting its vibrant and rich culture. Mr. Laxmaiah recalled that Buddhism originated in India 2,600 years ago and was one of the important religions in South and South East Asia.
Buddhism’s influence remained present in India art, architecture and culture with more than 8 million practicing Buddhists in the country as of 2011. He recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made Buddhism a regular feature of his diplomatic visits and made conscious efforts to emphasise shared Buddhist heritage.
