Ancient Buddhist Relics Returned by Burmese Locals

Bago, Myanmar -- Hundreds of 1,000-year-old Buddhist statues have been returned by workmen after an ancient pagoda site in Prome (Pyay) Township, Pegu (Bago) Division, dating from the Sri Ksetra era of the Pyu Kingdom, was ransacked.

Local people handed the antique Buddhist relics to the authorities on Thursday after they began to worry about possibly being arrested for stealing the artifacts. Prome residents sent a letter to The Irrawaddy about the discovery last week.

The Irrawaddy reported that the valuable antiques were being hidden and then removed from the site by car. However, after word got out those responsible eventually decided to hand the treasures back to the proper authorities.

 

 “After news spread to the media, they were afraid and this is why they had to give them back,” said a worker who operates a drill at the site.

Local people who stay near the excavation area told The Irrawaddy that it was a shame that the township authorities did not prevent the ancient ruins being destroyed. However, the authorities ordered the digging to halt after complaints were filed in the wake of the relics being discovered on Nov. 5.

The area of Prome Township is called Pagoda Hill and belongs to a man called Thai Thai who recently bought the land from its original owner, Tin Ngwe, who moved to live in Rangoon earlier this year.

The entire plot is valued at 60 million kyat (US $70,000) with the pagoda site alone is worth five million kyat ($6,000). A group of workers found the Buddhist statues after beginning demolition work using a bulldozer on Oct. 15. The find dates from around 700 to 1300 AD, according to Burmese researchers.

Pyu was a civilization that lasted for nearly a millennium until the early ninth century when a new group of “swift horsemen” from the north, the Mranma (Burmans), entered the Upper Irrawaddy Valley. In the early ninth century, the Pyu city-states of Upper Burma came under constant attack from the Nanzhao Kingdom of the present-day Yunnan Province of southwestern China.

In 832, the Nanzhao sacked then-Halingyi, which had overtaken Prome as the chief Pyu city-state. A subsequent Nanzhao invasion in 835 further devastated Upper Burma. While Pyu settlements remained in the region until the advent of the Pagan Empire in the mid-11th century, then Pyu was gradually absorbed into the expanding Burman kingdom of Bagan over the next four centuries.

The Pyu language continued to exist until the late 12th century. By the 13th century, the Pyu had assumed the Burman ethnicity. The histories/legends of the Pyu were also incorporated into those of the Burmans.

By THE IRRAWADDY, November 2012

Arunchal Pradesh - Fourth Indian State to receive Buddhist Center from Government

After Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, Arunchal Pradesh becomes the fourth state in India to receive the next fully fledged Buddhist Center by the allocation of funds by the Central government of India.

Its founder, Tsona Gontse Rinpoche, announced The Central Institute of Himalayan Culture Studies at Dahung in West Kameng District will now attain the status as a result of its New Delhi’s recognition.

In the West Kameng District, where the institute is located, the majority of people, and 13 percent of the population of the people of Arunchal Pradesh follow Buddhism. India’s largest monastery Tawang is also in Arunchal Pradesh.

The institute, conceived by Rinpoche in 2000, had received the approval of the Union Cabinet on May 26, 2010 with a one time project cost estimated at Rs 9 crore and a recurring annual cost of Rs 124.86 lakh.

“It began with a central government grant of Rs 97 lakh and has since grown into a good institute to fill the vacuum in imparting education on Buddhism,” the Rinpoche asserted. ”I had pursued the Centre to establish such an institute considering the large number of Buddhist population residing in the Northeast,” he said.

He pointed out that with only 25 faculty members and limited infrastructures, the institute has so far produced two batches (18 each) of Shastri (equivalent to BA in Buddhist Philosophy) degree holders.

According to the Rinpoche, Besides teaching arts and crafts supporting self-sufficiency, sustainable development and the preservation of ethnic identity  as a means of national integrity, the institute has been inculcating an awareness on ecological balance and preservation of natural resources.

He said the other three institutes are: Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, a deemed university, the Central University for Tibetan Studies, Sarnath, Varanasi, and the Central Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies, Leh.

Obama gets taste of Thailand at Buddhist temple

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Leaving behind chants of "Obama, Obama" by adoring crowds on the streets, the president of the United States stepped into the serenity of Thailand's most famous temple compound to marvel at its centerpiece -- a gigantic, golden statue of a reclining Buddha propped up on one elbow before passing into nirvana.

The Temple of Reclining Buddha, formally known as Wat Pho, was the first stop on President Barack Obama's Asian tour that will also take him to Myanmar and Cambodia. Obama arrived at the temple, one of Bangkok's most famous tourist sites, straight from the airport after landing in Bangkok on Sunday. Visits to see the king and the Thai prime minister were saved for later.

Observing traditional custom, Obama took off his shoes as a saffron-robed monk led him and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton through the 18th century temple's stoned paved compound of multi-colored spires and chapels with hundreds of gilded Buddha images.

 

But the main attraction is the reclining Buddha statue that at 46 meters (150 feet) long, and 15 meters (50 feet) high, stretches half the length of a football field. The statue is made of bricks and plaster and covered in gold leaf with mother-of-pearl inlay decorating the feet.

The visit was meant to give Obama a taste of Bangkok. But one thing Obama did not get to see as he sped through Bangkok was the city's infamous traffic jams. All roads leading to Wat Pho and his other destinations were blocked and cleared of cars as part of security measures that included bomb squads and shutting the temple to the public hours in advance.

Camera-clad tourists who came to visit the temple or glimpse the American leader were initially dismayed. They were kept hundreds of meters (yards) away as his armored Cadillac pulled to a stop inside a white tent erected at the temple's entrance, which obscured him from sight.

But those who waited an hour for his temple tour to end were elated. A smiling Obama waved from the backseat of his car, which drove slowly alongside cheering crowds as he headed to a royal audience with Thailand's revered, ailing monarch, 84-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

"Yes! I saw him! And he was waving at us!" said 72-year-old American tourist Elizabeth Simon visiting Thailand with her 74-year-old sister. They were at the beach in Pattaya two hours away but rushed to Bangkok just to see him. "I'm so thrilled that he won the election. When we heard he was coming, we decided to get here."

Parts of the temple date to Thai King Rama I in the 1700s. The king's ashes are kept beneath the pedestal of one of the huge seated Buddha statues in the complex, which is located along the banks of the Chao Phraya river near the Grand Palace. It is in the quiet, historic old quarter of Bangkok, outside the skyscraper-and-traffic clogged downtown.

"It's meaningful that Obama came straight to Wat Pho," said Pradab Supradit, a 67-year-old Thai grandmother who took a bus, a river ferry and then walked up roads closed for security hoping to glimpse the man or just see his convoy. "It will bring him blessings because temples are at the center of Thai people's hearts."

"I want to see him with my own eyes," she said. "I like Obama because of his charisma and personality. He's a smart guy. I love the way he talks."

 ------
 

by THANYARAT DOKSONE, Associated Press, November 18, 2012

Associated Press Writers Jocelyn Gecker and Todd Pitman contributed to this report.

Tour operators target india boom

Tourism sector leaders say the birthplace of Buddhism could attract many Thai pilgrims and tourists, but New Delhi needs to clean up its act first

Bangkok, Thailand -- Thai tour operators view Buddhist tourism in India as a potential boom market if the country's Ministry of Tourism improves tourist facilities in destinations that are of interest to Thai-Buddhist tourists.

At the second International Buddhist Conclave held in Varanasi at the end of last month, Thai tourist operators highlighted problems that needed to be addressed. Among these were the relatively tight immigration laws, shortcomings in public infrastructure and the quality of food and hotels.

The conclave was held to showcase India's Buddhist heritage in order to attract Buddhist pilgrims and tourists around the world.

Sarnath, a deer park northeast of the holy city of Varanasi, is where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, more than 2,500 years ago.

Kushinagar, a principal centre of the Buddhist pilgrimage, is where Lord Buddha left his corporeal self and attained Mahaparinirvana.

Supriya Boonyagate, a tour operator with Two by Four Travel Ltd, has promoted Thai-Buddhist pilgrimages to India for more than a decade. She said she has has submitted a three-point proposal to the Ministry of Tourism of India. First, she said the Indian government should abolish its immigration policy, which is too tight and undermines opportunities for Thai tour operators to bring tourists to visit Buddhist destinations in India.

 

Ms Supriya was referring to an Indian immigration regulation which prevents foreigners from returning to the country within two months of a previous trip.

 

"This immigration regulation has become a growing headache for all Thai tour operators who can't send their experienced Thai tourist guides to lead new groups of Thai-Buddhist pilgrims and tourists if those guides have made a previous trip to India within the past two months," she said.

Second, the Indian government should improve its highways in areas housing major Buddhist tourist attractions to ease the currently time-consuming travel experience.

For example, Ms Supriya said, the 300km highway linking Varanasi with Kushinagar should be extended and paved with asphalt.

"It takes us about seven to eight hours [to make the trip] which is really incredible," she said. "And many more public toilets need to be built along a Buddhist tourist trail."

Finally, Ms Supriya said she wanted India to improve the quality of food and hotels in Buddhist destinations.

There needs to be a variety of international food on offer, she said, because most Thais will not be able to eat Indian food every day.

Nuanchan Pientam, chairwoman of NC Tour and Enterprise Co Ltd, said she also submitted a letter addressing problems faced by Thai tourists to Shri Subodh Kant Sahai, India's tourism minister.

Ms Nuanchan, who has operated Thai-Buddhist pilgrimage tours to India for more than three decades, said she wanted Indian authorities to take action to promote the sector, especially in relation to Buddhist attractions in the subcontinent.

She said India needed to improve the condition of its national highways in Buddhist destinations and also needed to install public toilets that adhere to international standards.

She said there are also few trains and limited seats available during the peak tourism season between October to March, so she wanted India to provide more trains with more seats for Thai-Buddhist pilgrims and tourists.

"We believe many more Thai-Buddhist pilgrims and tourists will visit India if the country acts on our proposals," she said.

Mr Sahai, the tourism chief, said the origins of Buddhism are in India and the country is the main attraction for Buddhist tourists from around the world.

Mr Sahai said his ministry is drawing up plans to attract more tourists from Buddhist countries by providing them with special facilities.

He said India has tried to improve its public infrastructure by building roads and airports that can better promote the travel of Buddhist tourists from around the world.

"Buddhism is a world religion now, so its sites hold a great attraction for tourists from the world over. The Ministry of Tourism is continuing with its efforts to identify more Buddhist tourist circuits and develop them in holistic and integrated manner," he said.

To promote Buddhist tourism in India, tourists from countries which have a large Buddhist population, such as Thailand and Malaysia, will soon be provided with the option of getting a visa on arrival, he said.

He said the Ministry of Tourism plans to develop a ghat [set of stairs descending into a river] on the bank of the Ganges River in the holy city of Varanasi in the name of Lord Buddha, and he pledged to keep Varanasi and the river clean.

The International Buddhist Conclave in India is being held after two years. The last conclave was held in 2010.

Buddhist museum in a bad shape

Andhra Pradesh, India -- A large chunk of tourists who visit the district every year are attracted by the Buddhist museums at Amaravathi and Nagarjunakonda but few people even know that there is a third and equally important museum which has on display an impressive range of inscriptions, stone sculptures and pottery items belonging to the Buddhist era.

<< The pathetic state of the Baudhasree Museum in Guntur. Photo: T. Vijaya Kumar It is the Baudhasree Archaeological Museum located in the heart of Guntur city (opposite Andhra Christian College) that unfortunately draws a handful of visitors. Tourist destinations The Amaravathi and Nagarjunakonda museums stand out as the best tourist destinations due to their beautiful maintenance by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) while the Baudhasree museum slowly fades into oblivion. Little attention is paid to this historic museum by the Department of Archaeology and Museums of Government of Andhra Pradesh for apparent reasons. It has ancient sculptures dating back to the 2nd Century A.D up to the medieval period. Several centuries-old antiquities are showing signs of withering due to poor maintenance and many other items are kept in the fore lawns for want of space.    The museum has a meagre budget that is barely enough to keep it going and it has no technical assistant to take care of conservation of the antiquities on display. A non-technical person (junior assistant) who is on the verge of retirement is functioning as the museum in-charge and, ticketing income is negligible. The Baudhasree Museum was established in 1954 and it came under the purview of State Department of Archaeology & Museums 20 years later. The original building which housed the museum gave way to a new one that was inaugurated in September 1992. The museum used to attract a sizable number of tourists, which gradually came down and the decline in footfalls was more pronounced later, noticeably after many artefacts were taken away to Amaravathi during the Kalachakra event in 2006. Speaking to The Hindu, Assistant Director of Archaeology & Museums (Vijayawada) K. Chittibabu said there was a proposal to build a first floor to accommodate more valuable things and upgrade the existing library into a research library but the proposals were pending and estimates have not yet been prepared. However, he exuded confidence that things would move fast in the near future while admitting that there are constraints in developing this historic museum to global standards.

India plans to promote Buddhist sites as new tourist hotspots

 

VARANASI, India -- In an effort to attract at least half of the total Buddhist population spread in 35 countries by promoting Buddhist pilgrimage sites, is the new mantra of the ministry of tourism, Government of India and the states enshrining the Buddhist pilgrimage sites.

 

The call was given during the inauguration of the three-day International Buddhist Conclave (IBC)-2012 at a hotel compound in Nadesar area on Saturday. Due to the last-minute cancellation of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's visit, Union minister of state for tourism Subodh Kant Sahai, along with the ministers of tourism of UP, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha inaugurated the conclave. Apart from 133 delegates from 30 countries, who are mainly tour operators, opinion leaders and travel writers, delegates from 16 states are also taking part in the conclave.

In his address, UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) executive director Marcio Favilla said that "while the number of international tourists last year was one billion, next year this figure can touch the mark of 1.8 billion".

"During the G-20 summit held in June, the tourism sector was approved as an important economic activity. It's for the first time that the tourism has been included in G-20 declaration. Focus should be on sustainable tourism to generate employment. Similarly, religious tourism would play a key role in increasing the number of international tourists."

The Union minister of state for tourism said: "The ministry is aiming at promoting religious tourism on the line of the Muslim religious shrines in Saudi Arabia. Even if half of the Buddhist population (out of a total of 50 lakh) visits the Buddhist pilgrim centres in the country annually, the goal of the ministry would be achieved. This would also help in generating employment for three crore people."

The minister also highlighted the measures initiated by the Central government regarding visa issues.

The tourism ministers of participating states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, left no opportunity to promote the Buddhist sites of their states. However, the main competition between UP and Bihar to woo the delegates for attracting more and more tourists was quite evident.

Bihars minister for tourism Sunil Kumar Pintu highlighted how improvement in basic infrastructure, especially roads, had help in attracting a large number of tourists to the Buddhist sites in Bihar. However, UP minister of state for tourism M C Chauhan had no concrete plans to disclose except expecting that the chief minister would do some miracle to change the fate of tourism industry in UP.

 

 

Odisha to open advanced centre for Buddhist studies at Langudi

Bhubaneswar, India -- Odisha government has decided to open an advanced centre for Buddhist Studies scheduled from January 1 next year to attract students from India and other parts of Asia.

"An advanced center for Buddhist studies will be opened at Langudi in Jajpur District," Tourism and Culture Minister Maheswar Mohanty said today.

 

Certificate courses, diploma courses, post-graduate and research courses will be available in phases, which would be self-financing at the initial stage, he said.

"The objective of opening such a centre is to attract students from inside and outside the country," Tourism and Culture Secretary A K Tripathy said.

The minister also said a three-day 'International Symposium of Buddhist heritage of Odisha: situating Odisha in global prospective' will be organised at Udaygiri from February 1 to 3.

Many foreign and Indian scholars were expected to participate in the symposium.

Source : Press Trust of India