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Jammu, October 17 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha left for Russia on Friday to bring back the holy relics of Lord Buddha to India.
LG Manoj Sinha said he is leaving for Kalmykia, Russia, to lead a delegation assigned to bring back the holy relics of Lord Buddha after a week-long exhibition.
In a post on Twitter, the LG office said, “Leaving for Kalmykia, Russia, where I will lead the delegation to bring back the sacred relics of Lord Buddha after a week-long exhibition. I sincerely thank Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @NarendraModi ji for this sacred occasion. ‘Om Namo Buddhay’.”
The exhibition is being organized by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation, National Museum and Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts.
The sacred relics are to be enshrined in Elista’s main Buddhist monastery, Geden Shedup Choekorling Monastery, known as the ‘Golden Abode of Shakyamuni Buddha’.
There is a large population of Buddhists in India. According to the 2011 census, the Buddhist population in India is approximately 8.4 million, which is about 0.7 percent of the total population.
Although Buddhism originated in India, today the religion is a minority in the country. Most Indian Buddhists live in Maharashtra, followed by states like Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim and West Bengal. Buddhism flourished in India, especially during the reign of Emperor Ashoka, but its numbers declined in India over the centuries.
A large proportion of India’s Buddhists, an estimated 87 percent, are followers of Navayana Buddhism, the majority of whom live in Maharashtra.
Kashmir has several important Buddhist sites, including the ruins of Harwan and Ushkur, the ancient Jayendra Vihara, and the archaeological complex at Ambaran near Akhnoor.
These places highlight the historical importance of Kashmir in the spread of Buddhism and the presence of influential Buddhist centres, which attracted scholars from across Asia.
The Fourth Buddhist Council was held at Harwan, near Srinagar in Kashmir, under the patronage of the Kushan king Kanishka, with ancient ruins from that era providing evidence of this connection.
It has ruins and tiles with image carvings, and its history is linked to prominent figures such as the Buddhist guru Nagarjuna.
Ushkur, an ancient Buddhist site near Baramulla, is famous for its historical importance, including the discovery of a terracotta head of Buddha during excavations. It is identified with the ancient city of Huaskapura.
Jayandra Viharaya is another ancient Buddhist site near Baramulla. It was a famous urban learning center of ancient Kashmir, well known both inside and outside India. It was a place of study for foreign scholars, including the Chinese monk Xuanzang, who lived there for two years in the seventh century.
Ambaran near Akhnoor in Jammu is the archaeological site of a monastic complex that provides insight into Buddhist cultural development in the region, with evidence of its use from the 2nd century BC to the 7th century AD.
Parihaspur, outside the city of Srinagar, was a monastery built by King Lalitaditya of Kashmir and was famous for its huge image of Buddha.
–IANS
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