Nitish reviews the progress of Buddha Smriti Park

Patna, May 17: Exactly a year ago, His Holiness The Dalai Lama and chief minister Nitish Kumar had inaugurated the Buddha Smriti Park. Today, on the 2,600th enlightenment anniversary of Lord Buddha, the park stood at the centre of celebrations in the capital.

A year down the line, Nitish once again came to personally assess the progress of his brainchild project, which has been developed on a land, where the erstwhile Bankipur Jail stood, in the heart of the capital.

“Today is a historical, significant and sacred day. It is a matter of joy as this Buddha Smriti Park was also inaugurated on the same day last year. I am happy with the way this park has been developed into such a historically significant monument. I am also delighted at the growth of the plants from the saplings that were brought from the original Bodhi tree from Bodhgaya and Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka, and planted here by His Holiness The Dalai Lama,” said Kumar.

The park developed at a cost of Rs 125 crore and sprawling across 22 acres, embodies a strong Buddhist connection of the state capital, wherein relics of Lord Buddha brought from six countries are enshrined in a 200-ft-high stupa called Patliputra Karuna Stupa.

Nitish arrived at Buddha Smriti Park at 9.15am sharp to be given a warm welcome by the monks and the priests at the entrance.

After expressing his gratitude to the monks, he went ahead and laid wreaths at the two Bodhi plants. Thereafter, he went to Patliputra Karuna Stupa, wherein he meditated for a few minutes along with other monks and priests. Later, amid chants of hymns and beating of odaiko, the CM moved towards the library building.

Nitish also cut the ribbon, inaugurating a picture exhibition at the library building. “A total of 87 pictures depicting the entire life of Lord Buddha and also pictures of some monuments in Bihar and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh have been put on display. The pictures have been offered by the Archeological Survey of India and the Patna Museum. The effort is to give a pictorial representation of the life of Lord Buddha to visitors,” said Umesh Chandra Diwedi, additional director, Patna Museum, present at the occasion.

After the picture exhibition, Nitish spoke to reporters and expressed contentment on the progress of the park and also informed about further development of the park.

“A statue of Lord Buddha would be erected inside this park. Also, something like an information centre would also be developed here, where various objects related to Lord Buddha would be kept on display.”