Buddhism came down South very much during the lifetime of Gautama Buddha and when he was propagating his teachings. It started from a village called Badankurti in Adilabad district in between two Godavari rivulets in the fifth century B.C.
It spread to Kotilingala, Dhulikatta (Karimnagar), Phanigiri, Nelakondapally, Karukonda, Nagarjunakonda (Khammam & Nalgonda in TS) and then on to Andhra and Maharashtra before followers took the religion to other parts of South Asia and South East Asia to countries such as Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Vietnam, and so on. Buddhism spread during and after the reign of Emperor Ashoka.
“Since Telangana holds a unique position in the spread of Buddhism, the Government wants to develop these places of heritage importance not only for the sake of protection and preservation but also to attract tourists from within the country and outside so that they can explore the roots of Buddhism,” said TS Tourism Development Corporation chairman P. Ramulu on Tuesday.
Neglected
Special Officer for Buddhavanam Project, Nagarjunasagar, M. Lakshmaiah, pointed out that lot of excavations and studies need to be taken up at these historic sites as these have been neglected for ages. Although lot of priceless material in the form of coins of the bygone era, terracotta figures, remnants of Stupas, figurines of Buddha, etc., there was no proper infrastructure in place for visitors to stay or study.
“Many tourists from the South East Asian countries are very much interested in visiting these sites if they are made aware of,” averred TSTDC MD Christina Z. Chongthu. Nagarjunakonda, where the Buddhavanam project is under way, is the most popular Buddhist site and prominent seat of the Mahayana school of learning at Nagarjunasagar.
Here, a Buddhist heritage theme park is being built and the 274 acres has been divided into eight segments like Buddha Charitavanam, Jataka Park, Dhyanavanam, Krishna Valley Park, Acharya Nagarjuna International Higher Buddhist Learning Centre, Buddhism in Telugu States, etc.
The ‘Maha Stupa’ similar to the one at Amaravati is under construction with works being done on the dome portion, meditation hall and others. Dhayanavam work too is pending though it already has a huge 27-foot tall Buddha statue donated by the Sri Lankan Government, said Dr. Lakshmaiah.
The Government has spent close to Rs.35 crore and another Rs.25 crore was required to complete it in all respects when it would be the first in the country to have many thematic segments depicting significant events in the life of Buddha and other stories.
“The proposed Nagarjuna learning centre can be developed on the lines of Nalanda University once the Centre and State Government take the initiative. Other countries could be roped in,” he observed.
