Dharamsala, February 8 – Bihar Chief minister Nitish Kumar is in Dharamsala to meet with the Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The CM of the Indian state where several holy sites for Buddhists are situated had a private audience with Tibetan leader Monday.
According to the Times of India, the CM is expected to formally invite the Tibetan leader to inaugurate and bless the Buddha Memorial Park in the state’s capital Patna that is expected to be complete by May this year.
The huge park with meditation hall is being built close to Patna railway station to mark the 2550th year of Mahaparinirvana of Lord Buddha. The state government has spent Rs 125 crore on the project.
The CM flew from Delhi to Dharamshala after attending the Chief Ministers’ conference on internal security on Sunday.
The exact dates for the visit and inauguration is expected to be discussed between the CM and His Holiness. Nitish is expected to seek the advice of His Holiness about displaying holy relics of Lord Buddha in the park. The relics are currently preserved at Patna Museum since its discovery 60 years ago during excavations in Vaishali.
“The Buddhists and tourists have reason to visit Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Nalanda and Vaishali, but there is nothing to attract them to Patna. It had been planned to keep the relics in the park for display in a bid to attract the tourists,” sources have told the Times of India
Updated on Feb. 9, 5.30PM (IST) – His Holiness has agreed to be in Patna to inaugurate the Buddha Park on May 27, 2010.
