HYDERABAD: Taking one back in time, the carvings on the walls of the ‘Maha Stupa’ at Buddha Vanam in Nagarjuna Sagar, offer a glimpse of the glorious, yet humble life of Gautam Buddha, who lived in 6th century BC. After a long wait, the Buddhist themed park is set to be inaugurated on February 9.
The project, which aims to bring foreign tourists into the State, will soon be thrown open to the public, said an official of the Telangana Tourism Department. Built at an estimated cost of Rs 65 crores, the Buddha Vanam is spread over 274 acres. It encompasses the Buddha Chaithravanam, Jathaka Chakra Park, Dhyana Vanam Park, Miniature Stupa Park, Maha Stupa, Buddhist museum, and Lower Krishna Valley Park.
Additionally, it houses the Vipasana Centre and Acharya Nagarjuna International Higher Buddhist Learning Centre.“Telangana has a really rich Buddhist history that a lot of people are not aware of. This is why the State government was keen on developing a Buddhist Circuit here,” said Venkayia, an official of the Tourism Department.
Earlier, it was announced that President Ram Nath Kovind was likely to inaugurate the Buddha Vanam. However, officials now say that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will inaugurate the site. “The inauguration will conducted on a grand scale,” Venkayia added.
The age-old project was brought back to life after the chief minister, in 2015, visited the site. Impressed with its potential, he sanctioned `25 crore for the construction.The Minister for Tourism V Srinivas Goud said on Saturday that after the inauguration of the site in February, the State government would set up a Men-Tsee-Khang, also known as Tibetan Medical and Astro Institute, in addition to a Buddhist University near the site.
“The site will not only attract tourists from within the country, but also from countries like Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Tibet, and other South-East Asian countries,” K Sudhan Reddy, special officer of Buddha Vanam project.