Odisha hosts 3rd International Buddhist conference at Bhubaneswar from Feb 13
By Subrat Maharana
11 Feb,Bhubaneswar
In order to promote the state’s Buddhist tourism circuits at the international level, the Odisha government has decided to hold the 3rd International Buddhist Conference at Bhubaneswar from Feb 13.
Addressing a press conference here the Tourism and Culture Minister Ashok Chandra Panda Wednesday said the three-day event will be attended by about 150 Buddhist scholars and monks from across the world, including Japan and Sri Lanka. “Let the world know this truth on Buddhist heritage sites and the history added to these places:, he said.
They would participate in the conference to deliberate on Buddhist history and culture.
The minister said the delegates will discuss Buddhist sites in India and Odisha and the tourism potential in the sector.
There will be an exclusive business-to-business session for the tour operators to attract tourists to the Buddhist heritage sites.
While there are over 324 Buddhist sites in Odisha, the government has earmarked Lalitgiri, Udayagiri and Ratnagiri as the Diamond Triangle.
Stating that Chief Minister Naveen Pattnaik will inaugurate the conference the Minister said that the programme has been divided into three sessions on first day three will be interaction and presentations on Buddhist Sites of India and Odisha, tourism potentials of our Buddhist sites, Case Studies and Market modules will be discussed and an action plan will be prepared.
Prof. H. P. Gangnegi, Department of Buddhist Studies, Delhi University, Prof. S. Kulasrestha, Director, IITTM, Gwalior, Subash Goyal, President, IATO are some of the personalities attending the conference, Dr. Aravind Kumar Padhee,the Commissioner cum Secretary of Tourism and Culture said.
An exclusive Photo Exhibition on the Buddhist Heritage of Odisha will be organized by Odishan Institute of Maritime and South East Asian Studies (OIMSEAS) in the conference venue to highlight the recent discoveries and the glimpses of Buddhist Heritage, he said.
Dr.Padhee said that in order to attract Buddhist tourists to Odisha, an advertisement campaign show-casing Biddhist culture in the state would be initiated in the focused countries .