Buddha Jayanti celebrated with a grand event at Telangana's Buddhavanam

Hyderabad: Buddhavanam, one of the most well-known Buddhist tourist destinations in the nation, celebrated Buddha Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Gautama Buddha, on Friday.

The event is annually celebrated on a grand scale in Buddhavanam, a heritage theme park for Buddhists located close to Nagarjuna Sagar.

As part of the event, 200 cars participated in an automobile rally that departed from the 125-foot statue of Dr. BR Ambedkar at Hussain Sagar and travelled to Buddhavanam. The event was flagged off by tourism minister V. Srinivas Goud at 7.45 a.m. on Friday and was organised by the Buddhist Society of India, Telangana branch.

According to the project authorities, all preparations were made to commemorate the birth anniversary, which started at 10 a.m. with chanting and a Buddhavandana prayer led by Tibetan and Buddhist monks from Bailukuppe in Mysuru and the Mahabodhi Buddha Vihara in Mahendra Hills, Secunderabad.

After the celebration, a free Tibetan Buddhist medical camp was held. The public took part in the event in significant numbers.

At 5 p.m., the evening session of the festivities will get underway, and Sanghapala Bhante will deliver a speech on the importance of Buddha Jayanti.

Economist and educationist Sukhadeo Thorat will then give a unique presentation on “Philosophy of Buddhism: Its Relevance for Society Inclusive Nationhood and Democracy in India.”

Buddhavanam is a unique theme park located at Nagarjunasagar. The Buddha Charithavanam, which depicts the five major events in the life of Siddhartha Gautama in bronze sculptures, the Jatakavanam, which contains 40 stone sculptures of the Jataka stories, the Dhyanavanam, which contains a cement replica of the 27-foot Avukana Buddha statue, and the Stupavanam, which contains 13 scale models of Indian stupas, are all found at the entrance plaza.